Sensory innervation of the external and internal genitalia of the female rat

Peters, Lawrence; Kristal, Mark B.; Komisaruk, Barry R.

doi:10.1016/0006-8993(87)90372-6

Cited by 160 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Sensory input arising from vaginocervical stimulation is mainly relayed via the pelvic nerve [17,30]. These fibers can be described as afferent parasympathetic directed at the L6-S1 segments of the spinal cord [45].…”

Section: Vaginocervical Stimulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fos immunoreactivity in the rat brain following consummatory elements of sexual behavior: a sex comparison

1996

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Section: Vaginocervical Stimulationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fos immunoreactivity in the rat brain following consummatory elements of sexual behavior: a sex comparison

1996

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“…Electrical stimulation of the pelvic nerve elicited contractions in both cervix and uterus (41) and increased intravaginal pressure (35). Accordingly, recordings from the pelvic nerve activity showed that it responds to mechanical stimulation of the vagina and to stretching of the cervix during parturition (37). Pelvic neurectomy blocks induction of pseudopregnancy (10), presumably by blocking the PRL increase after mating (44).…”

Section: R679mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In female rats, the internal genitalia are innervated primarily by the hypogastric nerves (sympathetic) and pelvic nerves (sympathetic and parasympathetic) that terminate peripherally in the pelvic or uterine cervical ganglia (37). Visceral afferent fibers of the pelvic nerve are more sensitive than hypogastric nerve fibers to uterine and cervical mechanostimulation (4).…”

Section: R679mentioning

confidence: 99%

Systemic oxytocin induces a prolactin secretory rhythm via the pelvic nerve in ovariectomized rats

Helena

Cristancho-Gordo

González-Iglesias

et al. 2011

American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comp

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Helena CV, Cristancho-Gordo R, Gonzalez-Iglesias AE, Tabak J, Bertram R, Freeman ME. Systemic oxytocin induces a prolactin secretory rhythm via the pelvic nerve in ovariectomized rats. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 301: R676 -R681, 2011. First published June 15, 2011 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00176.2011.-We have shown previously that an intravenous injection of oxytocin (OT) in ovariectomized (OVX) rats initiates a circadian rhythm of prolactin (PRL) secretion similar to that observed after cervical stimulation (CS). In this study, we investigated the pathway through which OT triggers the PRL rhythm. We first tested whether an intracerebroventricular injection of OT could trigger the PRL secretory rhythm. As it did not, we injected OT intravenously while an OT receptor antagonist was infused intravenously. This antagonist completely abolished the PRL surges, suggesting that a peripheral target of OT is necessary for triggering the PRL rhythm. We hypothesized that OT may induce PRL release, which would be transported into the brain and trigger the rhythm. In agreement with this, OT injection increased circulating PRL by 5 min. To test whether this acute increase in PRL release would induce the PRL rhythm, we compared the effect of intravenously administered thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and OT. Although TRH injection also increased PRL to a comparable level after 5 min, only OT-injected animals expressed the PRL secretory rhythm. Motivated by prior findings that bilateral resection of the pelvic nerve blocks CS-induced pseudopregnancy and OT-induced facilitation of lordosis, we then hypothesized that the OT signal may be transmitted through the pelvic nerve. In fact, OT injection failed to induce a PRL secretory rhythm in pelvic-neurectomized animals, suggesting that the integrity of the pelvic nerve is necessary for the systemic OT induction of the PRL secretory rhythm in OVX rats. oxytocin receptor; pseudopregnancy; lactotrophs MATING OR CERVICAL STIMULATION (CS) induces a circadian rhythm of prolactin (PRL) secretion in female rats, consisting of nocturnal (0300) and diurnal (1700) surges. The rhythm persists for 10 -12 days, which is about half the duration of pregnancy (19). As the rhythm in secretion continues for several days without additional stimuli, it has been suggested that a hypothalamic "memory" is activated by CS and acts to sustain the daily PRL surges (17). This rhythm can be produced in ovariectomized (OVX) rats, demonstrating that the memory does not require ovarian steroids (43). Despite these findings, the mechanism by which the memory is triggered is not understood.PRL secretion by lactotrophs is tonically inhibited by hypothalamic dopamine (DA) (3,11). Whereas the full generation of PRL surges requires a decrease in DA inhibition, the actions of one or more stimulating factors are also needed (16, 18). Several lines of evidence suggest that oxytocin (OT) may act as a PRL-releasing factor to induce PRL surges in several physiological paradigms (23, 39, 40), including mating. Beca...

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“…Previous studies have focused on inflammation or distension of the uterus or vagina to understand mechanisms of chronic pain from these structures, or pressure applied to the vaginal surface of the uterine cervix, which induces antinociception and mating related behaviors in rodents (Berkley et al 1988;Komisaruk and Larsson 1971;Peters et al 1987;Wesselmann et al 1998). Because these are not necessarily relevant to pain produced by distension of the lower uterine segment and endocervix, we developed a model of uterine cervical distension.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The uterus and endocervix are innervated mainly by afferent fibers in the hypogastric nerve through which sensory information, including obstetric or gynecologic pain from distension, infection, or malignancy, is transmitted to the CNS (Berkley et al 1990;Peters et al 1987). Behavioral studies and clinical experience with paracervical blockade to provide pain relief in parturients and nonpregnant patients undergoing dilatation of the cervix indicates the hypogastric nerve is relevant to pain from this structure (Bonica 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chronic Estrogen Sensitizes a Subset of Mechanosensitive Afferents Innervating the Uterine Cervix

Liu¹,

Eisenach²,

Tong³

2005

Journal of Neurophysiology

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Liu, Baogang, James C. Eisenach, and Chuanyao Tong. Chronic estrogen sensitizes a subset of mechanosensitive afferents innervating the uterine cervix. J Neurophysiol 93: 2167-2173, 2005; doi:10.1152/ jn.01012.2004. Estrogen increases reflex nocifensive responses to distension of the uterus and the urinary bladder, but estrogen's effects on afferent response to distension of the uterine cervix, the site of obstetric and some gynecologic pain, has not been studied. Here, single fiber recording of hypogastric nerve responses to uterine cervical distension were obtained from ovariectomized (OVX) rats and OVX rats treated with estrogen (ES). Spontaneous activity was greater in the ES group (13 of 24 units; 54%) than in the OVX group (6 of 27 units; 22%). ES differentially altered the response of low-and high-threshold units to distension. For high-threshold units, firing frequency was increased two-to fourfold with 60 -100 gm distension in ES compared with OVX groups (P Ͻ 0.05). In contrast, the response of low-threshold units to distension was not altered by ES. About one-half of units tested in each group responded to a temperature increase from 35 to 49°C. A greater proportion of thermosensitive units were also mechanosensitive in the ES group (7 of 8 afferents, 88%) than in the OVX group (5 of 11 afferents, 45%). Acute application of ES in OVX rats failed to evoke or increase distensioninduced responses. These data show the polymodal nature of afferent fibers innervating the uterine cervix. Increased spontaneous activity with ES may play a part in remodeling of the cervical tissue, whereas selective sensitization of high-threshold units by ES might underlie increased pain responses to cervical distension. Failure of acute ES treatment to mimic this suggests a genomic effect.

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Sensory innervation of the external and internal genitalia of the female rat

Cited by 160 publications

References 39 publications

Fos immunoreactivity in the rat brain following consummatory elements of sexual behavior: a sex comparison

Fos immunoreactivity in the rat brain following consummatory elements of sexual behavior: a sex comparison

Systemic oxytocin induces a prolactin secretory rhythm via the pelvic nerve in ovariectomized rats

Chronic Estrogen Sensitizes a Subset of Mechanosensitive Afferents Innervating the Uterine Cervix

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