Effect of castration on pelvic neurons in the male pig

The present study investigated the influence of castration performed at neonatal age on neuronal elements in the anterior pelvic ganglion of the male pig with immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The ganglia were examined 3 and 6 months after surgery. In 3-month-old castrated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Histochemistry and cell biology 2020-03, Vol.153 (3), p.135-151
Main Authors: Kaleczyc, Jerzy, Kasica-Jarosz, Natalia, Pidsudko, Zenon, Dudek, Agnieszka, Klimczuk, Magdalena, Sienkiewicz, Waldemar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Apoptosis
Biochemistry
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Biomedicine
Calcitonin gene-related peptide
Caspase-3
Castration
Cell Biology
Developmental Biology
Galanin
Ganglia
Immunofluorescence
Immunohistochemistry
Neonates
Neurons
Neuroprotection
Original Paper
Surgery
Vasoactive intestinal peptide
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Summary:The present study investigated the influence of castration performed at neonatal age on neuronal elements in the anterior pelvic ganglion of the male pig with immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). The ganglia were examined 3 and 6 months after surgery. In 3-month-old castrated pigs (3MCP) 74% of adrenergic and 31% of cholinergic neurons stained for caspase-3 (CASP-3), and much greater numbers of perikarya than in the control animals expressed CGRP, galanin (GAL) and VIP (peptides known to have neuroprotective properties). In 6-months-old castrated pigs (6MCP), an excessive loss (90%) of neurons and intraganglionic nerve fibres was found. The survived adrenergic and cholinergic neurons also expressed CASP-3, CGRP, GAL or VIP. The qPCR results corresponded with immunofluorescence findings. In 3MCP, genes for CASP-3 and CGRP were up-regulated, while the expression of those for DβH, VAChT, GAL, VIP and SP displayed statistically insignificant variations. In 6MCP, distinctly up-regulated were genes for CGRP, GAL, VIP, SP, DβH and VAChT, while the expression of casp3 gene was down-regulated. The study revealed for the first time the excessive loss of pelvic neurons following castration, and a realistic assumption is proposed, that the neurons died due to apoptosis triggered by androgen deprivation.
ISSN:0948-6143
1432-119X
DOI:10.1007/s00418-019-01837-w