The effect of aging and an ovariectomy operation on the level of phosphorylated CaM kinase II in the hippocampus of female mice prenatally exposed to diethylstilbestrol

The effects of aging and an ovariectomy operation on the brain-disrupting actions caused by prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES) were studied in mice. In the young DES-exposed female mice, the level of hippocampal phosphorylated CaM kinase II (pCaMKII) was not changed. However, at 8 months, the level of hippocampal pCaMKII in the DES-exposed female mice significantly increased compared to control. Moreover, the ovariectomy significantly increased the level of pCaMKII in the hippocampus but not the cortex of DES-exposed female mice. These findings suggest that the influence of prenatally-exposed DES on the hippocampal pCaMKII may be affected by the endogenous female sex hormones such as estrogen.