Multinucleated arginine-vasopressin neurons in the human supraoptic nucleus: A hallmark of pulmonary pathology

The human supraoptic nucleus (SON) is the main production site of plasma ar ginine-vasopressin (AVP), The present study aimed to define the subpopulati on of patients in which multinucleated SON neurons (MNN) are present, We de termined the proportion of MNN in immunocytochemically defined SON AVP popu lation and compared AVP mRNA levels in the SON of 29 patients with and with out MNN. Interestingly, MNN appeared to be present in a high proportion in patients with pneumonia and other pulmonary pathologies (Pul P). The percen tage of MNN in the SON of Pul P patients turned out to be age- and sex-depe ndent. In young women with Pul P their proportion was 10 times higher than in women without such a pathology and in young men with Pul P their frequen cy was 22 times higher than in other men. In those patients with the highes t proportion of MNN, i.e. young females and males with Pul P, AVP mRNA expr ession in the SON was the lowest. In addition, young women (less than or eq ual to 50 years old) had low er AVP mRNA levels than young men and than eld erly women (>50 years old). In conclusion, our study suggests that multinuc leated neurons are a hallmark of Pul P in the human SON and that this pheno menon may be accompanied by lower AVP production in young subjects, Copyrig ht (C) 2000 S. Karger AG, Basel.