Neurogenesis of oxytocin-containing neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the female pig in 3 reproductive states: Puberty gilts, adult gilts and lactating sows

Evidence suggests that neurogenesis occurs in the adult hypothalamus, including centers containing oxytocin and vasopressin producing neurons. The present study was undertaken to look at one of these centers, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), to describe its morphology, confirm the presence of neurogenesis and examine the effect of reproductive status on the incidence of neurogenesis. Serial sections of the paraffin-embedded hypothalamus were made from five puberty gilts, four adult gilts and four lactating sows. Specific sections were Nissl-stained for PVN morphology, while others were stained with an oxytocin (OT) primary antibody, which binds to the cytoplasm of oxytocin-containing neurons, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) primary antibody, which binds to PCNA, a protein expressed in the nucleus during cell division. Cells labeled with both OT and PCNA were considered to be oxytocin-containing neurons that had recently divided, signifying the recent synthesis of a mature neuron. The general morphology of the PVN was similar in all pigs, and three subnuclei were identified and named based on cytoarchitecture. Neurogenesis was consistently observed in OT-containing neurons of all pigs studied. However, a significantly greater number of double-labeled (OT + PCNA) cells occurred in the PVN of lactating sows and adult gilts, when compared to puberty gilts. These observations confirm the process of neurogenesis in the hypothalamus of the adult female pig and suggest that the up-regulation of OT-containing neurons is correlated to age and possibly driven by sexual maturation, but not necessarily lactation.