Fig. 4.

Pineal ALLO saves Purkinje cells from cell death in Px quail chicks. Cerebella of control male quail chicks, Px at P2 male quail chicks, and Px at P2 male quail chicks treated with daily injection of 7α-OH PREG (30 ng/5 μL) or ALLO (30 ng/5 μL), or Px at P2 male quail chicks s.c. implanted with a silastic plate containing melatonin (10 mg/plate) from P2 to P7 were analyzed. (A) Number of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar lobes I–X at P21. Purkinje cell number is presented as the percentage of control (n = 12). *P < 0.05 or **P < 0.01 vs. control; ^†P < 0.05 or ^††P < 0.01 Px plus ALLO vs. Px. (B) Morphology of Purkinje cells in the cerebellar lobes IV and IX at P21. M, molecular layer; P, Purkinje cell layer. (Scale bars, 40 μm.) (C) Effects of Px and daily injection of ALLO on ALLO concentration in the cerebellum of male quail chicks at P7 (n = 12). **P < 0.01 vs. control; ^††P < 0.01 Px plus ALLO vs. Px. (D) Comparisons of ALLO concentration among the pineal gland, rostral cerebellum, and caudal cerebellum in P2 male quail chicks (n = 7). **P < 0.01 vs. rostral cerebellum or caudal cerebellum. (E) Effects of Px on ALLO concentrations in the rostral and caudal cerebellum of male quail chicks (n = 7). *P < 0.05 vs. 0 h. (F) Contents of [³H]ALLO in the rostral and caudal cerebellum after injection of [³H]ALLO close to the pineal lumen of male quail chicks at P2. [³H]ALLO (20 pmol) was injected close to the pineal lumen, and the content of [³H]ALLO in the rostral and caudal cerebellum was counted in a liquid scintillation counter (n = 7). ^★★★P < 0.001 vs. 0 h; ^☆☆P < 0.01 or ^☆☆☆P < 0.001 vs. 0 h; ^†P < 0.05 rostral cerebellum vs. caudal cerebellum. Each column and vertical line in A and C–F represent the mean ± SEM.