Table 1.
Number of neurons immunoreactive (IR) for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and/or kisspeptin (KP) in the preoptic area (POA) and gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-IR afferents on TH- and KP-IR neurons in the POA and on TH-IR neurons of the arcuate nucleus (Arc).
| OVX+E2 (n = 5) | Lactating (n = 4) | Pups deprived (n = 4) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Counted in ROIs | All IR | KP−/TH+ | KP+ /TH+ | All TH+ | KP+ /TH− | All IR | KP−/TH+ | KP+ /TH+ | All TH+ | KP+ /TH− | All IR | KP−/TH+ | KP+ /TH+ | All TH+ | KP+ /TH− |
| Neurons in the POA | 1317 | 106.2 ±15.8 | 150.6 ±10.8 | 256.8 ±15.9 | 6.6 ±2.7 | 1084 | 189.5 ±33 | 41.2 ±12.8 | 230.7 ±31.5 | 40.2 ±11.9 | 1068 | 184.7 ±26.6 | 48.7 ±17.3 | 235.5 ±41 | 33.5 ± 8.8 |
| Neurons in the Arc | 935 | 187 ±13 | N/A | 187 ±13 | N/A | 717 | 179.2 ±17.2 | N/A | 179.2 ±17.2 | N/A | 737 | 184.2 ±7.1 | N/A | 184.2 ±7.1 | N/A |
| GnRH appositions on neurons in the POA | 370 | 37.2 ±8.8 | 34.8 ±3 | 72 ±11.7 | 2 ±1 | 213 | 37.7 ±10.7 | 5.7 ±1.4 | 43.5 ±9.8 | 9.7 ±3 | 188 | 36 ±10.9 | 6 ±2.8 | 40.7 ±12.2 | 5 ±1.4 |
| GnRH appositions on neurons in the ARC | 413 | 82.6 ±5.8 | N/A | 82.6 ±5.8 | N/A | 272 | 68 ±11 | N/A | 68 ±11 | N/A | 247 | 61.7 ±6.2 | N/A | 61.7 ±6.2 | N/A |
TH- and KP-IR neurons and GnRH-IR appositions were counted in one side of three selected POA and ARC sections and given in the form of absolute numbers (‘all IR'; the sum of all counted items) and Mean ± SEM for each experimental model.