Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2009;31(8):385-390
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032009000800003
PURPOSE: to evaluate the effect of hyperprolactinemia induced by metoclopramide on the endometrium and myometrium of female mice in the proestrus phase. METHODS: 24 female mice were randomly divided in two groups: CtrG/control and ExpG/treated with metoclopramide (6.7 mg/g daily). After 50 days, the animals were sacrificed in the proestrus phase, and the blood was collected to determine the levels of estradiol, progesterone and prolactin. The uterine horns were removed, fixed in 10% formaldehyde and processed before being included in paraffin. Slices of 4 µm were stained by hematoxylin and eosin (H/E). In the morphological analysis, a Carl Zeiss light microscope, with objectives varying from 4 to 400 X was used for each histological slice characterization. In the morphometrical analysis, the superficial epithelium, the lamina propria and the myometrium thickness were evaluated, with the help of an image analyzer (AxionVision - Carl Zeiss) attached to the light microscope (Carl Zeiss). The statistical analysis was done by ANOVA, followed by the Wilcoxon test. P-value was considered as significant, when <0.05. RESULTS: our findings have shown an increase in the seric levels of prolactin (295.6±38.0 ng/mL) and significant decrease in the progesterone levels (11.3±0.9 ng/mL) in the ExpG, as compared to the CtrG (45.5±5.2 ng/mL and 18.2±1.6 ng/mL, respectively; p<0.001). Concerning the seric level of estradiol, significant differences between the groups were not obtained (ExpG=119.1±12.3 pg/mL and CtrG=122.7±8.4 pg/mL; p=0.418). The morphological study has shown that the uterus from the ExpG presented the endometrium with more developed superficial epithelium and lamina propria, as compared to the CtrG, the same happening with the myometrium. The thickness morphometrical values of the luminal epithelium (8.0±1.1 µm) and endometrium (116.2±21.1x10² µm) from the CtrG were lower than the ones from the ExpG (10.2±0.8 µm and 163.2±23.3x10² µm, respectively) with p<0.05. Nevertheless, data obtained in the myometrium have not shown significant differences between the groups (CtrG=152.2±25.2x10² µm and ExpG=140.8±18.0x10² µm). CONCLUSIONS: data have shown that hyperprolactinemia induced by metoclopramide determines endometrial proliferation and interferes with the ovarian function, mainly in the progesterone production.
Summary
Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia. 2005;27(9):524-528
DOI 10.1590/S0100-72032005000900004
PURPOSE: to evaluate the morphological changes in murine lacrimal glands by metoclopramide-induced hyperprolactinemia during the proestrus phase or pregnancy. METHODS: forty adult mice were divided into two groups: CTR1 (control) and MET1 (treated with metoclopramide). After fifty days, half of the mice were sacrificed. The remaining animals were mated, and then labeled as pregnant controls (CTR2). Part of these animals were treated with metoclopramide and constituted the metoclopramide-treated pregnant (MET2) group. The CTR2 and MET2 groups were sacrificed on the 6th day of pregnancy. The blood was collected for determination of the hormonal levels of estradiol and progesterone by a chemoluminescent method. The lacrimal glands were then removed, fixed in 10% formaldehyde and stained with HE. The morphometric analysis was performed using the Axion Vision program (Carl Zeiss) to measure acinar nuclear and cellular volumes. RESULTS: the nuclear and cellular volumes of the lacrimal glands in the MET1-(152.2±8.7; 6.3±1.6 µm³) and MET2-(278.3±7.9; 27.5±0.9 µm³) treated groups were lower than those in CTR1 (204.2±7.4; 21.9±1.3 µm³) and CTR2 (329.4±2.2; 35.5±2.0 µm³), respectively. There was a significant hormonal level reduction in the animals that received metoclopramide compared to controls (CTR1: estradiol = 156.6±42.2 pg/ml; progesterone = 39.4±5.1 ng/ml; MET1: estradiol = 108.0±33.1 pg/ml; progesterone = 28.0±6.4 ng/ml; CTR2: estradiol = 354.0±56.0 pg/ml; progesterone = 251.0±56.0 ng/ml; MET2: estradiol = 293.0±43.0 pg/ml, progesterone = 184.0±33.0 ng/ml). CONCLUSION: metoclopramide-induced hyperprolactinemia produced morphological signs of reduction of cellular activity in lacrimal glands during the proestrus phase and pregnancy. It is hypothesized that this effect might be related to the hyperprolactinemia-induced decrease in the hormonal production of estrogen and progesterone.