Genistein early in life modifies the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus morphology differentially in male and female rats

In the present work we analyzed the effects of postnatal exposure to two doses of genistein (10 mu g/g or 50 mu g/g) from postnatal (P) day 6 to P13, on the morphology of the arcuate nucleus (Arc). The analyses of Arc coronal brain sections at 90 days showed that the ArcMP had higher values in volume, Nissl-stained neurons and GPER-ir neurons in males than in females and the treatment with genistein abolished these sex differences in most of the parameters studied. Moreover, in males, but not in females, the GPER-ir neurons decreased in the ArcMP but increased in the ArcL with both doses of genistein. In the ArcLP, GPER-ir population increased with the lowest doses and decreased with the highest one in males. Our results confirm that the Arc subdivisions have differential vulnerability to the effects of genistein during development, depending on which neuromorphological parameters, dose and sex are analyzed.

Automated summary

In this study, we investigated the effects of postnatal exposure to genistein on the morphology of the arcuate nucleus (Arc) in male and female rats. Our results showed that genistein treatment abolished sex differences in the volume, Nissl-stained neurons, and GPER-ir neurons in the ArcMP. Furthermore, genistein had different effects on GPER-ir neurons in the ArcMP and ArcL depending on the dose and sex.