Estradiol Potentiates But Is Not Essential for Prolactin-Induced Suppression of Luteinizing Hormone Pulses in Female Rats

Endocrinology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 161 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juneo F Silva ◽  
Patricia C Henriques ◽  
Ana C Campideli-Santana ◽  
Roberta Araujo-Lopes ◽  
Nayara S S Aquino ◽  
...  

Abstract Hyperprolactinemia causes infertility by suppressing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. Because effects of prolactin (PRL) on the hypothalamus usually require estradiol (E2), we investigated the role of E2 in PRL-induced suppression of LH pulses. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats treated with oil or E2 (OVX + E2) received a subcutaneous injection of ovine PRL (oPRL) 30 minutes before serial measurement of LH in the tail blood by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. E2 reduced pulsatile LH secretion. oPRL at 1.5 mg/kg further reduced LH pulse frequency in OVX + E2 but had no effect in OVX rats. The higher dose of 6-mg/kg oPRL decreased LH pulse frequency in both OVX and OVX + E2 rats, whereas pulse amplitude and mean LH levels were lowered only in OVX + E2 rats. Kisspeptin immunoreactivity and Kiss1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels were decreased in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) of OVX + E2 rats. oPRL decreased both kisspeptin peptide and gene expression in the ARC of OVX rats but did not alter the already low levels in OVX + E2 rats. In the anteroventral periventricular nucleus, oPRL did not change kisspeptin immunoreactivity and, paradoxically, increased Kiss1 mRNA only in OVX + E2 rats. Moreover, oPRL effectively reduced Gnrh expression regardless of E2 treatment. In this study we used tail-tip blood sampling to determine the acute effect of PRL on LH pulsatility in female rats. Our findings characterize the role of E2 in the PRL modulation of hypothalamic components of the gonadal axis and LH release, demonstrating that E2 potentiates but is not essential for the suppression of pulsatile LH secretion caused by hyperprolactinemia.

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 567
Author(s):  
Wenyu Si ◽  
Hailing Li ◽  
Tiezhu Kang ◽  
Jing Ye ◽  
Zhiqiu Yao ◽  
...  

This study explored the role of γ-aminobutyric acid transaminase (GABA-T) in the puberty and reproductive performance of female rats. Immunofluorescence technique, quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect the distribution of GABA-T and the expression of genes and hormones in female rats, respectively. The results showed that GABA-T was mainly distributed in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and periventricular nucleus (PeN) of the hypothalamus, and in the adenohypophysis, ovarian granulosa cells and oocytes. Abat mRNA level at 28 d was lowest in the hypothalamus and the pituitary; at puberty, it was lowest in the ovary. Abat mRNA level was highest in adults in the hypothalamus; at infancy and puberty, it was highest in the pituitary; and at 21 d it was highest in the ovary. After vigabatrin (GABA-T irreversible inhibitor) was added to hypothalamus cells, the levels of Abat mRNA and Rfrp-3 mRNA were significantly reduced, but Gnrh mRNA increased at the dose of 25 and 50 μg/mL; Kiss1 mRNA was significantly increased but Gabbr1 mRNA was reduced at the 50 μg/mL dose. In prepubertal rats injected with vigabatrin, puberty onset was delayed. Abat mRNA, Kiss1 mRNA and Gnrh mRNA levels were significantly reduced, but Rfrp-3 mRNA level increased in the hypothalamus. Vigabatrin reduced the concentrations of GABA-T, luteinizing hormone (LH) and progesterone (P4), and the ovarian index. Lactation performance was reduced in adult rats with vigabatrin treatment. Four hours after vigabatrin injection, the concentrations of GABA-T and LH were significantly reduced in adult and 25 d rats, but follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) increased in 25 d rats. In conclusion, GABA-T affects the reproductive function of female rats by regulating the levels of Gnrh, Kiss1 and Rfrp-3 in the hypothalamus as well as the concentrations of LH and P4.


Endocrinology ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 144 (2) ◽  
pp. 484-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia L. Splett ◽  
Joseph R. Scheffen ◽  
Joshua A. Desotelle ◽  
Vicky Plamann ◽  
Angela C. Bauer-Dantoin

The hypothalamic peptide GnRH is the primary neuroendocrine signal regulating pituitary LH in females. The neuropeptide galanin is cosecreted with GnRH from hypothalamic neurons, and in vitro studies have demonstrated that galanin can act at the level of the pituitary to directly stimulate LH secretion and also augment GnRH-stimulated LH secretion. Several lines of evidence have suggested that the hypophysiotropic effects of galanin are important for the generation of preovulatory LH surges. To determine whether the pituitary actions of galanin are enhanced by the preovulatory steroidal milieu, LH responses to galanin administration (with or without GnRH) were examined in: 1) ovariectomized (OVX); 2) OVX, estrogen (E)-primed; and 3) OVX, E- and progesterone-treated female rats. Results from the study indicate that galanin enhances GnRH-stimulated LH secretion only in the presence of E (in OVX, E-primed, or E- and progesterone-treated rats). Galanin alone does not directly stimulate LH secretion under any of the steroid conditions examined. In the absence of gonadal steroids (OVX rats), galanin inhibits GnRH-stimulated LH secretion. These findings suggest that the primary pituitary effect of galanin is to modulate GnRH-stimulated LH secretion, and that the potentiating effects of galanin occur only in the presence of E.


1983 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Martin ◽  
R. J. Scaramuzzi ◽  
J. D. Henstridge

The effects of oestradiol-17β, androstenedione, progesterone and time of the year on the pulsatile secretion of LH were tested in ovariectomized Merino ewes (n = 32). The steroids were administered by small subcutaneous implants, and the LH pulses were observed in samples taken at intervals of 15 min for 12 h in spring 1979, autumn 1980 and spring 1980, seasons corresponding to successive periods of anoestrus, breeding season and anoestrus. During spring, oestradiol alone was able to reduce the frequency of the LH pulses, while progesterone, either alone or in combination with oestradiol, had little effect. During autumn, on the other hand, neither oestradiol nor progesterone could significantly reduce the frequency of the pulses when administered independently, whereas the combined treatment was very effective. Androstenedione had no significant effect on pulse frequency at either time of the year, either alone or in any combination with oestradiol and progesterone. The basal levels of LH, over which the pulses are superimposed, were reduced by oestradiol alone in both seasons. Progesterone alone had no consistent effects, but interacted significantly with oestradiol and this combined treatment maintained low basal levels most effectively at all times. Androstenedione had no significant effect. The amplitude of the pulses increased throughout the course of the experiment. Within seasons, the amplitudes were significantly higher in the presence of oestradiol and progesterone, but were not significantly affected by androstenedione. It was concluded that certain of the ovarian steroids exert negative feedback on the tonic secretion of LH primarily by reducing the frequency of the pulses, and that the changes in LH secretion attributable to season and phases of the oestrous cycle can be accounted for entirely by the responses of the hypothalamus to oestradiol and progesterone. The role of the androstenedione secreted by the ovary in the ewe remains obscure.


2014 ◽  
Vol 99 (8) ◽  
pp. 2887-2896 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessicah S. Collins ◽  
Jennifer P. Beller ◽  
Christine Burt Solorzano ◽  
James T. Patrie ◽  
R. Jeffrey Chang ◽  
...  

Context: Puberty is marked by sleep-associated changes in LH pulse frequency and amplitude. Early pubertal girls with obesity exhibit blunted day-to-night changes in LH secretion; whether this occurs in late pubertal obese girls is unknown. Objective: The objective of the study was to test two hypotheses: 1) blunted day-to-night changes in LH secretion occur in both early and late pubertal obese girls, and 2) such alterations are specifically associated with hyperandrogenemia. Design: This was a cross-sectional analysis. Setting: The study was conducted at a clinical research center. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-seven early pubertal, premenarcheal girls (12 of whom were obese) and 63 late pubertal (postmenarcheal) girls (27 of whom were obese) participated in the study. Intervention: Blood samples were taken every 10 minutes from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am. Main Outcome Measure: Change in LH pulse frequency [LH interpulse interval (IPI)] from daytime hours (7:00 pm-11:00 pm, while awake) to nighttime hours (11:00 pm to 7:00 am, while generally asleep). Results: Both nonobese and obese postmenarcheal girls demonstrated significant day-to-night decreases in LH pulse frequency (IPI increases of 33% and 16%, respectively), but day-to-night changes were blunted in obese girls (P = .004, obese vs nonobese). Day-to-night LH pulse frequency decreased significantly in postmenarcheal obese subjects with normal T concentrations (26% IPI increase) but not in those with hyperandrogenemia. Similar differences were evident for LH pulse amplitude. Nonobese and obese early pubertal girls exhibited nonsignificant differences in day-night LH pulse frequency (day to night IPI increase of 26% vs decrease of 1%, respectively). Conclusions: Day-to-night changes in LH pulse secretion are blunted in postmenarcheal obese adolescent girls. This phenomenon may in part reflect hyperandrogenemia.


1997 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Forcada ◽  
J. M. Lozano ◽  
J. A. Abecia ◽  
L. Zarazaga

AbstractThe role of endogenous opioids and the dopaminergic system on the inhibition of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion during early and late anoestrus, together with its modulation by the plane of nutrition were investigated in ewes with a short anoestrous season. In early anoestrus (22 March; day 0), two groups of ovariectomized, oestradiol-treated adult Rasa Aragonesa ewes, maintained under natural photoperiod at 41°N, were given enough food to provide 1·4 × (high; H; no. = 6) or 0·5 × (low; L; no. = 6) energy requirements for maintenance. The effects of administration of the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone (1 mg/kg at four 1-h intervals) (day 15) and of the dopaminergic2 receptor antagonist pimozide (0·08 mg/kg) (day 21) on LH secretion were assessed. A second experiment was carried out in late anoestrus (21 June) using the same protocol. A significant increase in LH pulse frequency after naloxone treatment for both H and L groups was detected in late anoestrus. Number ofLH pulses after naloxone injections in early anoestrus also increased in H (P < 0·05) and L ewes (P = 0·08). The effect of pimozide injection on mean LH pulse frequency was greater in early than in late anoestrus, especially in ewes receiving a high plane of nutrition (P < 0·05 and P = 0·07 for H and L ewes, respectively in April and P = 0·07 for H ewes in July). A significant increase of LH pulse amplitude was also detected in early anoestrus in H ewes (P < 0·01). These results provide evidence that endogenous opioid mechanisms are involved in the inhibition ofLH pulsatile release both in early and late anoestrus in ewes with a short seasonal anoestrus. The ability of pimozide to increase LH pulse frequency in early anoestrus could be enhanced by a high plane of nutrition in the breed studied.


2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (5) ◽  
pp. E1265-E1273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Vigo ◽  
Juan Roa ◽  
Rafael Pineda ◽  
Juan M. Castellano ◽  
Victor M. Navarro ◽  
...  

Neuromedin U (NMU) is a widely spread neuropeptide, with predominant expression at the gastrointestinal tract and brain, putatively involved in the regulation of a diversity of biological functions, including food intake, energy balance and circadian rhythms; all closely related to reproduction. Yet, the implication of NMU in the control of the gonadotropic axis remains scarcely studied. We report herein analyses on the hypothalamic expression and function of NMU in different physiological and experimental states of the rat reproductive system. Expression of NMU mRNA at the hypothalamus was persistently detected along female postnatal development, with maximum levels in adulthood that fluctuated across the cycle and were modulated by ovarian steroids. Acute central administration of NMU evoked increases of serum LH levels in pubertal female rats, while repeated injection of NMU tended to advance vaginal opening. Likewise, central injection of NMU increased serum LH concentrations in cycling female rats, with peak responses in estrus. In contrast, NMU significantly inhibited preelevated LH secretion in gonadectomized and kisspeptin-treated rats. Finally, in noncycling females due to photoperiodic manipulation (constant light), hypothalamic NMU mRNA levels were markedly depressed, but relative LH responses to exogenous NMU were significantly augmented. All together, our present data support a predominant stimulatory role of NMU in the control of the female gonadotropic axis, which appears under the influence of developmental, hormonal, and photoperiodic cues, and might contribute to the joint regulation of energy balance, biological rhythms, and reproduction.


1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (2) ◽  
pp. E304-E313
Author(s):  
Q. Dong ◽  
B. Li ◽  
H. Rintala ◽  
S. Blair ◽  
J. Spaliviero ◽  
...  

The effect of food restriction on circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in orchidectomized rats is controversial. The present study demonstrates that decreasing food intake by 50% for 3-10 days in orchidectomized rats increases LH pulse amplitude, length, area under pulse curve, and mean levels but decreases LH pulse frequency compared with ad-lib fed, orchidectomized controls. The effects on pulsatile LH secretion of food reduction by 50% with or without dilution by cellulose to maintain food volume in orchidectomized rats were also examined. Food volume influences pulsatile LH secretion independent of macronutrient effect after 3 days of food restriction, but subsequently macronutrient deprivation predominates. The exaggerated increase in LH levels in orchidectomized rats subject to food restriction for 7 days was not due to immunochemical or chromatographic heterogeneity or alteration in biopotency of circulating LH molecules. Intravenously injected 125I-labeled rat LH analyzed by noncompartmental modeling revealed that neither LH clearance nor mean residence time was reduced by food restriction. We conclude that during food restriction in orchidectomized rats, increases in LH pulse amplitude exceed and precede the decreases in LH pulse frequency, although the early changes in pulse amplitude are predominantly due to reduced food volume rather than macronutrient deprivation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 202 (2) ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Obaro Evuarherhe ◽  
James Leggett ◽  
Eleanor Waite ◽  
Yvonne Kershaw ◽  
Stafford Lightman

The neuroendocrine gender dimorphism that begins during perinatal development is completed during puberty. We have previously described how the perinatal gonadal steroids programme hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) activity in adulthood and we now assess the role of peripubertal ovarian hormones. Prepubertal females were treated subcutaneously with either cholesterol or 17β-oestradiol and their pituitary–adrenal activity was assessed 5 days later. Oestradiol suppressed the ACTH and corticosterone responses to restraint stress in the prepubertal female. Furthermore, groups of female rats were ovariectomised (OVX) either before or after puberty and adult animals were subsequently treated with subcutaneous implants containing either 17β-oestradiol or cholesterol. Corticosterone pulsatility was assessed using an automated blood sampling system to collect blood from freely moving animals at 10 min intervals over 24 h. Oestradiol administered to adults that had been OVX either pre- or post-pubertally displayed a significantly higher mean corticosterone level as well as increased pulse frequency and pulse amplitude compared with cholesterol treated controls. These data demonstrate a reversal in the effect of oestrogens on HPA axis activity over the time of puberty with inhibitory effects prepubertally and stimulatory actions after puberty and imply an ovarian steroid-independent mechanism of pubertal maturation of HPA sensitivity to oestrogens.


1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takashi Higuchi ◽  
Masazumi Kawakami

Changes in the characteristics of LH secretory pulses in female rats were determined in different hormonal conditions; during the oestrous cycle and after ovariectomy and oestrogen treatment. The frequency and amplitude of the LH pulses were stable during the oestrous cycle except at oestrus when a pattern could not be discerned because of low LH concentrations. These were significantly lower than those measured during other stages of the cycle. Mean LH concentrations and LH pulse amplitudes increased with time up to 30 days after ovariectomy. The frequency of the LH pulse was unchanged 4 days after ovariectomy when mean LH levels had already increased. The frequency increased 10 days after ovariectomy and then remained stable in spite of a further increase in mean serum LH concentrations. Oestradiol-17β injected into ovariectomized rats caused a decrease in LH pulse amplitude but no change in pulse frequency. One day after treatment with oestradiol benzoate no LH pulse was detectable, probably because the amplitude was too small. A generator of pulsatile LH release is postulated and an oestrogen effect on its function is discussed.


Endocrinology ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 138 (3) ◽  
pp. 1224-1231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ursula B. Kaiser ◽  
Andrzej Jakubowiak ◽  
Anna Steinberger ◽  
William W. Chin

Abstract The hypothalamic hormone, GnRH, is released and transported to the anterior pituitary in a pulsatile manner, where it binds to specific high-affinity receptors and regulates gonadotropin biosynthesis and secretion. The frequency of GnRH pulses changes under various physiological conditions, and varying GnRH pulse frequencies have been shown to regulate differentially the secretion of LH and FSH and the expression of the gonadotropin α, LHβ, and FSHβ subunit genes in vivo. We demonstrate differential effects of varying GnRH pulse frequency in vitro in superfused primary monolayer cultures of rat pituitary cells. Cells were treated with 10 nm GnRH pulses for 24 h at a frequency of every 0.5, 1, 2, or 4 h. α, LHβ, and FSHβ messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were increased by GnRH at all pulse frequencies. α and LHβ mRNA levels and LH secretion were stimulated to the greatest extent at a GnRH pulse frequency of every 30 min, whereas FSHβ mRNA levels and FSH secretion were stimulated maximally at a lower GnRH pulse frequency, every 2 h. GnRH receptor (GnRHR) mRNA levels also were increased by GnRH at all pulse frequencies and were stimulated maximally at a GnRH pulse frequency of every 30 min. Similar results were obtained when the dose of each pulse of GnRH was adjusted to maintain a constant total cumulative dose of GnRH over 24 h. These data show that gonadotropin subunit gene expression is regulated differentially by varying GnRH pulse frequencies in vitro, suggesting that the differential effects of varying GnRH pulse frequencies on gonadotropin subunit gene expression occur directly at the level of the pituitary. The pattern of regulation of GnRHR mRNA levels correlated with that of α and LHβ but was different from that of FSHβ. This suggests that α and LHβ mRNA levels are maximally stimulated when GnRHR levels are relatively high, whereas FSHβ mRNA levels are maximally stimulated at lower levels of GnRHR expression, and that the mechanism for differential regulation of the gonadotropins by varying pulse frequencies of GnRH may involve levels of GnRHR. Furthermore, these data suggest that the mechanisms whereby varying GnRH pulse frequencies stimulate α, LHβ, and GnRHR gene expression are similar, whereas the stimulation of FSHβ mRNA levels may be different.


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