Lifetime variations in prolactin expression in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus of the rat

[EN]Prolactin is a hormone with demonstrated roles in the brain, including neurogenesis, neuroprotection, learning, stress response or memory consolidation. To determine the prolactin expression in the rat hippocampus during aging and to resolve some controversies related to the presence of prolacti...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Carretero Hernández, Marta, Herráez Aguilar, Elisa, Catalano Iniesta, Leonardo, Hernández González, David, Díez Castro, David, Rodríguez Vicente, Ana E., García Barrado, Josefa, Vicente García, Teresa, Robles García, Miguel, Blanco Barco, Enrique José, Carretero González, José
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repositorio:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:gredos.usal.es:10366/168024
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/168024
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Hipocampus (Ammon's horn)
Dentate gyrus
Prolactin
Sex
Aging
Dentate Gyrus
Hippocampus
hipocampo
sexo
envejecimiento
prolactina
giro dentado
Descripción
Sumario:[EN]Prolactin is a hormone with demonstrated roles in the brain, including neurogenesis, neuroprotection, learning, stress response or memory consolidation. To determine the prolactin expression in the rat hippocampus during aging and to resolve some controversies related to the presence of prolactin in the hippocampus, the aim of this study was to analyze whether changes occur in the expression of prolactin during different stages of life. To determine this, we designed an experimental study in which we analyzed the expression and location of prolactin in the rat hippocampus, Ammon’s horn and Dentate Gyrus, during different stages of life (prepubertal, postpubertal, young adult, adult and old) and checked if there are differences related to sex. Overall, the results obtained show that prolactin is present in the rat hippocampus and that prolactin is synthesized, as deduced from the findings obtained via ELISA, immunohistochemistry, qPCR and in situ hybridization. After analyzing the correlation between serum and hipocampal prolactin levels and comparing the amounts of Prl mRNA and the hormone, the results obtained suggest that hippocampal prolactin has a dual origin: local synthesis of the hormone and its passage from the blood. On the other hand, the amounts of prolactin and its mRNA in the hippocampus vary with sex and age, suggesting the existence of age-related sexual dimorphism. The results obtained suggest that hippocampal aging is related to a decrease in the hippocampal prolactin system, which helps to better understand brain aging.