Changes in hypothalamic catechol-O-methyl-transferase during sexual differentiation of the brain.

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Ladosky W, Schneider HT

Changes in hypothalamic catechol-O-methyl-transferase during sexual differentiation of the brain.

Braz J Med Biol Res. 1981 Dec;14(6):409-13.

PubMed ID

6153046 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

1. An assay using [14C-methyl]-S-adenosyl-L-methionine was used to measure catecholamine-O-methyl-transferase (COMT) activity in the hypothalamus of newborn male and female rats from day 1 to day 12 and in adult animals after day 60. 2. There was no difference in COMT activity between sexes until day 8, when it became significantly higher in females. 3. Administration of 200 micrograms testosterone propionate to female rats at birth reduced the hypothalamic COMT level of the adult to that observed for male littermates. The response was dose-dependent in the range 50 to 200 micrograms. The hypothalamic content of COMT after puberty of male rats castrated at birth was comparable to that of post-pubertal females. 4. These results show that COMT, one of the enzymes involved in the control of brain biogenic amines, is also affected by the process of sexual differentiation of the brain.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Enzymes

Drug	Enzyme	Kind	Organism	Pharmacological Action	Actions
Testosterone propionate	Catechol O-methyltransferase	Protein	Humans	Unknown	Inhibitor	Details