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Journal of Andrology, Vol. 23, No. 3, May/June 2002
Copyright © American Society of Andrology

Segment-Specific Decrease of Both Catecholamine Concentration and Acetylcholinesterase Activity Are Accompanied by Nerve Refinement in the Rat Cauda Epididymis During Sexual Maturation

ADILSON M. SILVA*, DANIEL B.C. QUEIRÓZ*, EDUARDO F. CASTRO NETO{dagger}, MARIA DA GRAÇA NAFFAH-MAZZACORATTI{dagger}, ROSELY O. GODINHO*, CATARINA S. PORTO*, GABRIEL GUTIÉRREZ-OSPINA{ddagger} AND MARIA CHRISTINA W. AVELLAR*

From the * Department of Pharmacology and the {dagger} Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo-Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; and the {ddagger} Department of Cell Biology, Biomedical Research Institute, National University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.

Correspondence to: Dr Maria Christina W. Avellar, Section of Experimental Endocrinology, Department of Pharmacology, UNIFESP-Escola Paulista de Medicina, Rua 03 de maio 100, São Paulo, SP, Brazil 04044020 (e-mail: avellar.farm{at}infar.epm.br ).


In the present work, histochemical and biochemical studies were conducted to analyze changes in the pattern of autonomic innervation during sexual maturation, using the rat epididymis as a model. Glyoxylic acid histochemistry and immunohistochemical studies against dopamine ß-hydroxylase (DßH) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) indicated a reduction in the amount of catecholaminergic and AChE-positive neurons, fibers, and puncta detected in the cauda epididymis of adult rats (120 days old), when compared to immature (40 days) and young adult (60 days) animals. No obvious age-related variations were detected in the few catecholaminergic and AChE-positive fibers and puncta present in the caput region. AChE-positive fibers were found sorting out among epithelial cells and ending free upon the epithelial surface or into the tubular lumen of the cauda region of adult rats. Furthermore, a positive staining for AChE in epithelial cells was also detected in the caput and cauda epididymis in all ages studied. Biochemical analysis confirmed a significant decrease in noradrenaline concentration as well as AChE activity in the cauda epididymis with sexual maturation. Immunohistochemical studies against microtubule-associated protein 1B (MAP 1B), a neuronal cytoskeletal marker, further substantiated the quantitative changes observed in catecholaminergic and AChE-positive neuronal elements in the cauda epididymis. Thus, our results documented segment-specific variations in noradrenaline concentration and AChE activity during epididymal sexual maturation and suggest that such variations result, at least in part, from the refinement of the autonomic innervation pattern with age.

     Key words: Autonomic innervation, male reproductive tract, development, neurons, age






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Copyright © 2002 by The American Society of Andrology.