Gonadal hormone regulation of insulin-like growth factor-I-like immunoreactivity in hypothalamic astroglia of developing and adult rats.

The influence of gonadal steroids on insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I)-like immunoreactivity was assessed in the rat arcuate nucleus, an area of the hypothalamus that regulates pituitary secretion. IGF-I-like immunoreactivity was observed in hypothalamic cells with the morphological aspects of tanycytes and astrocytes. The surface density of IGF-I-like immunoreactive glia increased with puberty in the arcuate nucleus of male and female rats, while decreasing with age in other brain areas. Gender differences in the surface density of IGF-I-like immunoreactive glia were detected in adult animals, with males and androgenized females having significantly higher values than normal females. In the latter, the surface density of IGF-I-like immunoreactive glia was increased in the afternoon of proestrus and in the morning of estrus compared to the morning of proestrus, diestrus and metestrus. In addition, IGF-I-like immunoreactivity showed a dose-dependent increase in ovariectomized rats injected with 17 beta-estradiol, but not in those receiving 17 alpha-estradiol. The effect of 17 beta-estradiol was blocked by simultaneous administration of progesterone, while this hormone alone had no effect. These results indicate that IGF-I-like immunoreactivity in arcuate glial cells is affected by the hormonal environment and suggest that IGF-I-like immunoreactive glia may be involved in neuroendocrine events within the hypothalamus.