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Identification and localization of estrogen receptor α- and β-positive cells in adult male and female mouse intestine at various estrogen levels

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Abstract

Although estrogen is implicated in the regulation of mammalian intestinal function, the presence and the distribution of estrogen receptor (ER)-positive cells in the intestine are still controversial. The present study was designed to localize ERα- and ERβ-expressing cells in female and male mouse intestines immunohistochemically under various estrogen conditions, especially in female mice, ovariectomized as well at various phases of the estrous cycle. Western blot analysis detected both ERα (66-kDa band) and ERβ (56-kDa band). Immunohistochemical staining of paraffin-embedded sections after antigen-retrieval treatment with autoclaving revealed staining for ERα in submucosal interstitial cells, and double staining identified these cells as a subtype of intestinal macrophages. The number of these cells varied according to the estrous cycle phase. Administration of 17β-estradiol to ovariectomized mice resulted in a significant increase in the number of ERα-positive macrophages. On the other hand, the nuclei of nerve cells in Auerbach and Meissner plexuses were positive for both ERα and ERβ, but the number of positive nerve cells was not affected by estrogen. Our results indicate that estrogen and estrogenic compounds may exert their actions on the intestine in two ways; one is through interstitial macrophages and the other is through intestinal neurons.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, 852-8523, Nagasaki, Japan

    Takehiko Koji & Yoshitaka Hishikawa

  2. Second Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, Nagasaki, Japan

    Naoko Kawano, Kunihiko Murase & Shigeru Kohno

  3. Department of Pharmacotherapeutics, Graduate School of Biochemical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan

    Ikuo Murata

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  1. Naoko Kawano
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  2. Takehiko Koji
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  3. Yoshitaka Hishikawa
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  4. Kunihiko Murase
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  5. Ikuo Murata
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  6. Shigeru Kohno
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Correspondence to Takehiko Koji.

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Kawano, N., Koji, T., Hishikawa, Y. et al. Identification and localization of estrogen receptor α- and β-positive cells in adult male and female mouse intestine at various estrogen levels. Histochem Cell Biol 121, 399–405 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-004-0644-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-004-0644-6

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