Abstract
Oxytocin (OT) messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels increase in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) during late pregnancy, the second and third weeks of lactation, and with interruption of nursing for 48 h.1,2 Sequential exposure to estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) followed by a decline in P accounts for these increases.1,2 This steroid regimen also increases PVN OT mRNA levels in virgin ovariectomized rats.1 The site of action and mechanism by which P influences OT mRNA is not understood, but P is known to exert effects within the CNS through its receptor or by binding to the gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) A receptor and potentiating GABA tone.3 To determine if alterations in GABA tone influence steroid-induced increases in OT mRNA, we administered diazepam, a benzodiazepine agonist, to virgin, ovariectomized rats receiving this steroid regimen.
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References
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Thomas, A., Amico, J.A. (1998). Progesterone Regulates Hypothalamic Oxytocin mRNA Levels Through Gamma Aminobutyric Acid. In: Zingg, H.H., Bourque, C.W., Bichet, D.G. (eds) Vasopressin and Oxytocin. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 449. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4871-3_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-4871-3_12
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