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University of Texas Medical Branch |
Cell Biology Graduate Program |
Our research activities are focused on the psycopharmacology and neurochemistry of lithium, the drug widely used in the treatment and prophylaxis of manic depressive disorders. A special attention is directed to the understanding and examination of lithium's adverse effects on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis.
B.S. Honors, Bangabasi College, Calcutta, 1961 M.S., University of Calcutta, 1963, Ph.D., 1970 Professor Department of Anatomy & Neurosciences Cell Biology Graduate ProgramWe have already shown that acute lithium administration in rats and mice leads to a significant suppression of the preovulatory surge in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), critically important for ovulation. Chronic administration of lithium, on the other hand, leads to a complete disruption of the estrous cycle.
SEM of fimbriae from an oviduct of a control mouse. The exterior surface of the fimbriae consists primarily of ciliated cells with tall cilia. Interspersed among ciliated cells are nonciliated cells whose apical surfaces contain numerous short microvilli. The tall cilia are uniformly bent in one direction. X2200.
Recent scanning electron microscopic studies at our laboratory have shown that chronic lithium administration in mice leads to a marked loss of cilia from the oviductal epithelium. Since ciliary movement is pivotally important for the transport of ova, these studies raise important concern about the safety of lithium treatment in the adult human female.
SEM of Fimbriae from the oviduct of a mouse treated with lithium. Ciliated cells which have atrophied have short cilia. Dome-shaped nonciliated cells protrude above the velutinous surface becoming more prominent, although the microvilli are barely visible. X2200.
Another area of research we are interested in has to do with the effects of melatonin on tumor growth. To this end, the rate of growth of MtT/F4 transplantable anterior pituitary tumor with and without exogenous melatonin has been examined. Melatonin seems to inhibit the growth of this tumor in rats.
Pal, D., Roden, K., Parkening, T.A. and Banerji, T.K. Surface ultrastructural changes in mouse oviductal epithelim following chronic lithium treatment: A scanning electron microscopic study. Lithium 2: 83-90, 1991.
Chatterjee, S. and Banerji, T.K. Effects of light deprivation and late melatonin administration during a short photoperiod on the growth of MtT/F4 anterior pituitary tumor. Neuroendocrinol. Lett. 14:83-89, 1992.
Kachi, T., Takahashi, G., Banerji, T.K. and Quay, W.B. Rough endoplasmic reticulum in the adrenaline and noradrenaline cells of the adrenal medulla. Effects of intracranial surgery and pinealectomy. J. Pineal Res. 12:89-95, 1992.
Sheikha, S.H. and Banerji, T.K. Effects of lithium treatment and withdrawal on the pituitary-gonadal axis in the rat. Lithium. 4: 245-249, 1993.
Chatterjee S., Collins, T.J. and Banerji, T.K. Effects of melatonin on adrenomedullary activity in rats under normal and MtT/F4 tumor-induced hyperadrenocortical conditions. Neuroendocrinol. Lett. 16: 9-15, 1994.
Chatterjee, S., Steger, R.W. , Yun, J.S. , Wagner, T.E. , Bartke, A. and Banerji, T.K. The activities of tyrosine hydroxylase, dopamine- -hydroxylase and phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase, and catecholamine content in the adrenals of transgenic mice expressing human growth hormone gene and in hypopituitary ames dwarf mice. Exp. Clin. Endocrinol. (Life Sci. Adv.) 14:5-11, 1995.
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