Differential role of estrogen in dopamine metabolism in the amygdala and striatum of female rats / 生理学报

ABSTRACT

To study the effects of estrogen on the contents of dopamine (DA) and its metabolites in the amygdala (Amy) and striatum (Str) of rats, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to measure the contents of DA and its metabolites in untreated ovariectomized (OVX) rats and OVX rats treated with estrogen. The contents of DA and its metabolites in Amy but not Str were significantly higher when the OVX rats were treated with a high dose of estradiol benzoate (EB). The turnover rate of DA in Amy of the OVX rats was lower than that of normal and EB-treated OVX rats. The turnover rate of DA in Amy was about twice as high as in the Str, while the content of DA in Amy was only one-sixth of that in the Str. The results obtained imply that serum concentration of estrogen is one of the important factors which affect the DA metabolism and content in the Amy of female rats, while the Str is not influenced by estrogen.