NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHASE INCREASES IN HYPOTHALAMIC MAGNOCELLULAR NEURONSAFTER SALT LOADING IN THE RAT - AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL AND IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION STUDY
Mj. Villar et al., NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHASE INCREASES IN HYPOTHALAMIC MAGNOCELLULAR NEURONSAFTER SALT LOADING IN THE RAT - AN IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL AND IN-SITU HYBRIDIZATION STUDY, Brain research, 644(2), 1994, pp. 273-281
Magnocellular hypothalamic neurons of the paraventricular (PVN) and su
praoptic (SON) nuclei have been shown to contain a wide variety of mes
senger molecules in addition to vasopressin and oxytocin, including th
e nitric oxide (NO)-synthesizing enzyme (NOS). In this paper we have i
nvestigated the effects of salt loading on the expression of NOS by me
ans of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. The results sho
w an increase in the number of NOS-immunoreactive (IR) neurons both in
the PVN and the SON after 5 and 14 days of salt loading. Several of t
hese neurons were double labelled with vasopressin antiserum. In situ
hybridization showed a marked increase in the number of neurons expres
sing NOS mRNA and a stronger signal in individual neurons. The present
results suggest a role for NO in the magnocellular hypothalamic syste
m after salt loading.