The developmental evolution of 5-HT1A receptor binding sites was examined in the rat CNS during the early postnatal period using quantitative autoradiography and binding assays with 3H-8-OH-DPAT as the selective ligand. A progressive increase in the density of 5-HT1A sites was observed in the hippocampus, septum and cerebral cortex, up to adult levels which were reached around the third postnatal week. In contrast, complex biphasic (increase then decrease) changes were noted in other structures (for instance the nucleus of the lateral lemniscus), and even a progressive decrease in the density of 5-HT1A sites took place in the cerebellum during the first two postnatal weeks. The transient expression of 5-HT1A receptor binding sites in a structure such as the cerebellum which develops exclusively for the postnatal period further supports that 5-HT might play a trophic role during maturation of the CNS.

No abstract

A high-calorie (cafeteria) diet is known to cause changes in the intestinal morphology and functioning that seem to be related to calorie overfeeding. Among the cell lineages found in the small intestine epithelium, the Paneth cell (PC) population is known to be influenced by factors related mainly to the intestinal microbiota. The role of PCs in the intestinal cell concert remains unclear, because experimental evidence suggests PC involvement in local processes other than protection against pathogens. Participation of PC in digestive mechanisms has been proposed on this basis. We have analyzed the effect of high-carbohydrate (HC) and high-fat (HF) cafeteria diets on the PC population in the small intestine of the adult rat. For 8 weeks, both HC and HF diets caused a gain in body weight, but whereas the HC-fed rats showed reduced counts of intestinal crypts per 5-mum section, the HF-fed group showed the opposite. In control rats, the number of crypts per section showed a slight tendency to decrease along the duodenum - ileum axis, whereas the number of PCs per crypt was increased towards the ileum. As a result, the number of PCs per section (calculated from these data) remained constant along the three segments of the intestine. The hypercaloric diets did not modify the general tendencies seen in the crypt and PC counts, but reduced the number of PCs per section in the duodenum by 50%. HC-fed, but not HF-fed, rats showed a similar reduction in jejunum also. These changes do not correlate particularly with any of the predictable effects of diet composition, so that a multifactorial control of PC density is proposed.

Aromatase CYP19 catalyzes the synthesis of estrogen from androgens in a tissue-specific manner. This enzyme is present in several tissues, including gonads, brain and fatty tissue. More recently, its presence has been described in vessels. Here, we describe the expression of aromatase in human uterine artery and compare its expression with that found in arteries of estrogen-dependent uterine leiomyomata from women. To do this, we employed immunohystochemical and in situ hybridization techniques. We used, a polyclonal antibody raised against the carboxyl terminus of aromatase (ARO) and RNAm probes, of the exon 1 of ARO. We found an increased immunoreactivity of ARO in uterine arteries of patients with leiomyoma as compared with control group. Probe showing positive signal in skin fibroblasts (1b), showed positive hybridization signal in normal artery, while probes with positive signal in placenta (1a), ovary (1c) and testis (1d) were over-expressed in arteries of leiomyomas.