Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2007, 151(1):69-71 | DOI: 10.5507/bp.2007.012

DISTRIBUTION OF NUCLEAR RECEPTORS FOR STEROID HORMONES IN THE HUMAN BRAIN: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Marcela Bezdickova^a,c, Radka Molikova^a, Linda Bebarova^a, Zdenek Kolar^b,c

^a Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic

^b Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic

^c Laboratory of Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc

e-mail: xbezdick@yahoo.co.uk

Background: Expression of the nuclear steroid hormone receptors (SHR) within certain parts of the human brain has been described by many authors. However, a comprehensive analysis of SHR expression in the human brain still has not been performed.

Aim: To investigate the expression of SHR in different anatomical areas of the brain, especially within the neocortex.

Method: Immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR) and androgen receptors (AR) in different regions of the human brain was examined.

Results: Nuclear expression of the AR was found in the mamillary body, praecentral gyrus and hippocampus of males. The same expression in analysed structures of female was not found. The expression of ER and PR was not observed.

Conclusions: The analysis revealed unexpected localization of SHR within the brain cortex, which could be the first step to the explanation of SHR action in brain as an interrelationship to function and behaviour. These results indicate on the possibility of SHR detection in post-mortal brain.

Keywords: Estrogen receptor, Androgen receptor, Progesterone receptor, Brain, Human immunohistochemistry

Received: April 27, 2007; Accepted: May 15, 2007; Published: June 1, 2007  Show citation