Histochemical and biochemical study of the production and function of neurosteroid

为了阐明中枢神经系统中产生的神经类固醇的生理作用，我们用RT-PCR方法分析了类固醇合成酶在脉络丛中的表达。结果表明，脉络丛上皮细胞中有多种酶的表达。脑脊液中的类固醇激素浓度远低于血浆中，脉络丛中表达的类固醇生成酶可能在脑脊液中类固醇激素的动态平衡中起作用。我们观察了卵巢切除对大鼠在高强度应激状态下海马神经细胞死亡的影响。结果表明，去卵巢Fisher大鼠在应激状态下神经细胞数量减少，而Wistar大鼠无明显变化。在应激和雌激素缺乏的情况下，大鼠的神经细胞活性可能存在谱系差异。

To elucidate the physiological role of neurosteroids that are produced in the central nervous system, we analyzed the expression of steroid synthesizing enzymes in the choroid plexus with RT-PCR. The results showed that several enzymes were expressed in the choroid plexus epithelial cells. The concentration of steroid hormones in cerebrospinal fluid is much lower than that in blood plasma, the steroidogenic enzymes expressed in the choroid plexus may play roles in homeostasis of steroids in the cerebrospinal fluid. We examined the effect of ovariectomy on hippocampal neural cell death of rats which were under heavy physical stress. The results showed that the nerve cells decreased in number by the stress in ovariectomized Fisher rat, but not in Wistar ones. There might be a lineage difference for neuronal cell viability in the rat under a combination of stress and estrogen deficiency.