Effect of Neonatal Gonadectomy on the Postnatal Development of LHRH Cell Subtypes in Male and Female Rats

Abstract

The total number of LHRH cells and the distribution of LHRH cell morphological subtypes (classified as smooth or irregular LHRH cells) was investigated in adult male and female rats that received neonatal gonadectomies using light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry. An identical number of immunoreactive LHRH cells (about 1,200) was observed in both treated and control animals. Both LHRH cell subtypes were present in treated animals, and the total number of each LHRH cell subtype and their distributions were similar to that seen in the control animals. At the EM level, LHRH cell subtypes from gonadectomized animals had similar morphological characteristics as have been described for normal adult rats. Synapses were present on both smooth and irregular LHRH cells of treated animals. These data indicate that the removal of gonadal steroids shortly after birth does not alter the overall LHRH cell number and distribution, nor the development of characteristic LHRH cell morphologies.