Figure 1

Dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra compacta (SNc) of rats. (A): Dopaminergic (TH-ir) neurons were counted in the SNc two weeks after intrastriatal injection of vehicle (i.e. controls; males and ovx+E2 females) or 6-OHDA in the different experimental groups. The dopaminergic neurons were quantified as the total number of TH-ir neurons in the SNc. Data are means ± SEM. *p < 0.05 relative to the corresponding saline-treated group (males or ovx+E2 females), ^#p < 0.05 relative to the group treated with 6-OHDA alone (i.e. males+6OHDA and ovx+6-OHDA). One-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test. TH-ir, tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive. Representative photomicrographs of TH-ir neurons in non lesioned (i.e. control) males (B), females with estrogen (ovx+E2; C), 6-OHDA lesioned males (D) and 6-OHDA lesioned females without (E) and with estrogen (G), as well as male rats lesioned with 6-OHDA and treated with the AT1 antagonist candesartan (cand; F). Scale bar: 500 μm.