Summary
The development of the intraovarian adrenergic nervous system was investigated in the guinea-pig by use of chemical determination of catecholamines with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and with the formaldehyde-induced fluorescence method for visualization of adrenergic nerves (Falck-Hillarp technique). Ovaries from fetuses (39–40, 45–50, 55–57, 60–63 days of gestation) and young animals (1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 30, 40–45 days of age) were included in the study. The noradrenaline concentration was low in the ovaries from the youngest fetuses but increased with age, reaching a maximum level at 2 days post partum. A marked decrease in noradrenaline concentration from the second to the third day of life was found as a consequence of the rapid increase in the ovarian weight during this time. A similar decrease in ovarian noradrenaline concentration after a period of rapid ovarian growth was noted at 30 days of age. Measurable amounts of adrenaline were found in the ovary only in the fetal stages; the highest concentration (0.73 μg) was detected at 55–57 days of gestation.
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Kannisto, P., Owman, C., Rosengren, E. et al. Intraovarian adrenergic nerves in the guinea-pig: Development from fetal life to sexual maturity. Cell Tissue Res. 238, 235–240 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217294
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00217294