Abstract:

The aim of the present study was to investigate the distribution of kisspeptin in the hypothalamus of prepubertal ewe. Three female 3 months aged small-tailed-han-sheep were killed, then hypothalamus were collected and then frozen sections were made for immunohistochemical analysis of distribution of kisspeptin in the hypothalamus. The results showed that kisspeptin-immune response (kisspeptin-IR) cells were located predominantly in the arcuate nucleus. Kisspeptin-IR cells were also localized to the periventricular nucleus, supraoptic nucleus, dorsomedial nucleus, ventromedial nucleus, posterior nucleus and lateral nucleus of mammillary body in the hypothalamus. The results indicated that kisspeptin were located predominantly in the arcuate nucleus, which was significantly different from that of rodents.