Ovine serum and pituitary isoforms of luteinising hormone during the luteal phase

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 485 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Arrieta ◽  
A. Porras ◽  
E. González-Padilla ◽  
C. Murcia ◽  
S. Rojas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Gland ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Luteinising Hormone ◽  
Saline Solution ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Acidic Ph ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Relative Composition ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone

The relative abundance of the different isoforms of pituitary and circulating luteinising hormone (LH) in ewes, at different times after the administration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH), during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle was investigated. Sixteen ewes on Day 9 of their cycle were divided into four groups (n = 4). The control group (T0) received saline solution; the remaining animals received 100 μg GnRH (i.m.) 30, 90 or 180 min (T30, T90 and T180, respectively) before serum and pituitary gland collection. Luteinising hormone polymorphism was analysed by chromatofocusing (pH 10.5–3.5). The LH eluted from each chromatofocusing was grouped on the basis of the following three criteria: (1) according to the pH of elution (pH ≥ 10–3.5); (2) as either a basic (pH ≥ 7.5), neutral (pH 7.4–6.5) and acidic (pH ≤ 6.4) elution of LH of serum and hypophyseal origin; and (3) on the basis of distinct isoforms, of which 10 (A–J) were identifiable in hypophyseal extracts and four (A–D) were found in the serum. In general, the most abundant forms of LH in both the pituitary and serum, at all times, were basic. However, that proportion was greater in hypophyseal extracts (84 ± 3%, 81 ± 4%, 82 ± 3% and 83 ± 2% at T0, T30, T90 and T180, respectively) than in serum (51 ± 5%, 48 ± 10% and 54 ± 6% at T30, T90 and T180, respectively). Neutral and acidic LH made up a larger proportion of the total LH in sera (neutral: 17 ± 4%, 20 ± 6% and 23 ± 3% at T30, T90 and T180, respectively; acidic: 32 ± 8%, 32 ± 11% and 23 ± 6% at T30, T90 and T180, respectively) than in the pituitary extracts (neutral: 4.0 ± 0.7%, 10 ± 4%, 7 ± 2% and 5.0 ± 0.5% at T0, T30, T90 and T180, respectively; acidic: 12 ± 3%, 11 ± 2%, 12 ± 2% and 12 ± 2% at T0, T30, T90 and T180, respectively) at all times. These data reveal that the relative composition of the LH present in the pituitary gland and the LH secreted into the circulation is different, with more neutral and acidic isoforms being secreted. The pattern of circulating LH isoforms changes between 30 and 180 min after GnRH peak induction, with a greater proportion of isoform C (eluting between pH 7.0 and 6.5) at T180 compared with T30 and T90.

Pituitary and testicular endocrine responses to exogenous gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinising hormone in male dogs treated with GnRH agonist implants

2007 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 891 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Junaidi ◽  
P. E. Williamson ◽  
G. B. Martin ◽  
P. G. Stanton ◽  
M. A. Blackberry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leydig Cells ◽  
Luteinising Hormone ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Release Formulation ◽  
Male Adult ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Slow Release Formulation ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Lh Releasing Hormone

The present study tested whether exogenous gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinising hormone (LH) can stimulate LH and testosterone secretion in dogs chronically treated with a GnRH superagonist. Twenty male adult dogs were assigned to a completely randomised design comprising five groups of four animals. Each dog in the control group received a blank implant (placebo) and each dog in the other four groups received a 6-mg implant containing a slow-release formulation of deslorelin (d-Trp6-Pro9-des-Gly10–LH-releasing hormone ethylamide). The same four control dogs were used for all hormonal challenges, whereas a different deslorelin-implanted group was used for each challenge. Native GnRH (5 μg kg–1 bodyweight, i.v.) was injected on Days 15, 25, 40 and 100 after implantation, whereas bovine LH (0.5 μg kg–1 bodyweight, i.v.) was injected on Days 16, 26, 41 and 101. On all occasions after Day 25–26 postimplantation, exogenous GnRH and LH elicited higher plasma concentrations of LH and testosterone in control than deslorelin-treated animals (P < 0.05). It was concluded that, in male dogs, implantation of a GnRH superagonist desensitised the pituitary gonadotrophs to GnRH and also led to a desensitisation of the Leydig cells to LH. This explains, at least in part, the profound reduction in the production of androgen and spermatozoa in deslorelin-treated male dogs.

Corpus luteum life span and pituitary oestrogen and progesterone receptors in cyclic and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-treated anoestrous ewes

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 721 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Tasende ◽  
M. Rodríguez-Piñón ◽  
S. Acuña ◽  
E. G. Garófalo ◽  
M. Forsberg
Keyword(s):  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Luteinising Hormone ◽  
Binding Assay ◽  
Hormone Secretion ◽  
Progesterone Receptors ◽  
Oestrous Cycle ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Expected Time ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone

The present study investigated the pituitary oestrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptor concentrations in ewes during the oestrous cycle in the breeding season (n = 19), and in anoestrous ewes treated with gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) (n = 11) and anoestrous ewes treated with progesterone + GnRH (n = 11). The pituitary ER and PR concentrations at the expected time of ovulation and in the early and late luteal phases were measured by binding assay. The pattern of pituitary ER and PR concentrations in the progesterone + GnRH-treated ewes resembled the pattern found during the normal oestrous cycle, with ER and PR concentrations decreasing from the time of ovulation to the early luteal phase. In contrast, in ewes treated with GnRH alone, ER and PR concentrations increased in the early luteal phase, which may increase the inhibitory effects of steroid hormones on luteinising hormone secretion, ultimately leading to the development of subnormal luteal phases.

Luteal stage dependence of pituitary response to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone in cyclic dairy ewes subjected to synchronisation of ovulation

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 769 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. S. Amiridis ◽  
I. Valasi ◽  
I. Menegatos ◽  
C. Rekkas ◽  
P. Goulas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Luteinising Hormone ◽  
Prostaglandin F2α ◽  
Causative Factor ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Dairy Ewes ◽  
Lh Release ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Additional Sample

Possible hormonal aberrations precluding conception or maintenance of pregnancy in dairy ewes subjected to ovulation synchronisation were investigated in this study. The pituitary response to exogenous gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was tested at different luteal stages in 36 ewes. Oestruses were synchronised by using progestagen-impregnated sponges and the animals were randomly allotted into one of three treatment groups (A, B and C; n = 12 for each). Treatments commenced on Days 4, 9 and 14 of the new cycle (oestrus was defined as Day 0). Ewes were given two GnRH injections, 5 days before and 36 h after a prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) injection, and the animals were inseminated 12–14 h after the second GnRH injection (modified OVSYNCH). For luteinising hormone (LH) determination blood samples were withdrawn from six ewes of each group at the time of GnRH administration, and 30, 90, 180, 270 and 360 min later. Progesterone was assayed in samples taken every other day starting from oestrus and for 17 days after the second GnRH injection, and in an additional sample collected on the day of insemination. After the first GnRH injection, the LH concentration was higher in Group C than in Groups B and A (mean ± s.d.: 64.8 ± 10.0 ng mL−1, 41.3 ± 3.7 ng mL−1 and 24.6 ± 9.0 ng mL−1, respectively; P < 0.05), whereas after the second GnRH injection a uniform LH release was found in all groups. PGF2α caused a significant decrease in progesterone (P4) concentration in all groups; however, at artificial insemination ewes that conceived had significantly lower P4 concentration in comparison with those that failed to conceive. As early as Day 5, pregnant animals had higher P4 concentrations than non-pregnant animals. Overall, 21 animals conceived (seven, nine and five ewes from Groups A, B and C, respectively). These results indicate that the proposed protocol is equally effective in inducing a preovulatory LH surge at any stage of the luteal phase, and that elevated P4 concentration along with a delayed P4 increase should be considered as a causative factor for inability to conceive.

IN-VITRO STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF OESTROGEN PRETREATMENT ON THE SENSITIVITY OF THE IMMATURE FEMALE RAT PITUITARY GLAND TO STIMULATION WITH GONADOTROPHIN RELEASING HORMONE

1977 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. WILKINSON ◽  
D. DE ZIEGLER ◽  
DANIELLE CASSARD ◽  
K. B. RUF
Keyword(s):  
Pituitary Gland ◽  
Brain Lesion ◽  
Culture Technique ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Immature Female ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Unilateral Brain Lesion

The effects of oestrogen priming on the sensitivity of the anterior pituitary gland to stimulation with gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) was investigated in immature female rats using a new organ culture technique. Hemipituitary glands obtained from animals primed with a single dose of oestradiol benzoate (OB; 20 μg/100 g body weight) released significantly more LH when pulsed with GnRH (4 nmol/l) than did control hemipituitary glands. This potentiating effect was detectable as early as 5 days after birth. After a second stimulation, LH secretion remained high. These results were compared with those obtained from animals treated to induce increased levels of endogenous oestrogen on day 26 of life. Thus, hemipituitary glands were obtained from animals given two injections of OB, an injection of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) or a unilateral brain lesion placed in the basal hypothalamus. Pituitary tissue was stimulated as before with a pulse of GnRH. Two injections of OB enhanced the sensitivity to stimulation. Conversely, both PMSG and lesion treatment severely reduced the sensitivity to GnRH, although PMSG-treated and lesioned animals have been used as models for the study of ovulation.

THE EFFECT OF CYPROTERONE ACETATE ON THE PLASMA GONADOTROPHIN RESPONSE TO GONADOTROPHIN RELEASING HORMONE

1976 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 680-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. Donald ◽  
Eric A. Espiner ◽  
R. John Cowles ◽  
Joy E. Fazackerley
Keyword(s):  
Testosterone Level ◽  
Cyproterone Acetate ◽  
Luteinising Hormone ◽  
Follicle Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Plasma Testosterone ◽  
Plasma Testosterone Level ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Lh Release ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Male Patients

ABSTRACT Cyproterone acetate (100–150 mg daily) was administered to 8 male patients with excessive libido. Within 3 months a significant fall (P < 0.02) in plasma testosterone was demonstrated. The plasma luteinising hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) responses to gonadotrophin releasing hormone (LH/FSH-RH) were also significantly impaired (P < 0.05). A direct correlation between the resting plasma testosterone level and the LH response to LH/FSH-RH was demonstrated (r = 0.743). It is concluded that the fall in plasma testosterone levels in patients receiving cyproterone acetate may be attributed to suppression of LH release, rather than an antiandrogen effect on the testis or hypothalamus.

Relationship between gonadotrophin subunit gene expression, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone receptor content and pituitary and plasma gonadotrophin concentrations during the rebound release of FSH after treatment of ewes with bovine follicular fluid during the luteal phase of the cycle

1992 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Brooks ◽  
W. J. Crow ◽  
J. R. McNeilly ◽  
A. S. McNeilly
Keyword(s):  
Follicular Fluid ◽  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Gnrh Receptor ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Luteal Regression ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Lh Secretion ◽  
Cessation Of Treatment

ABSTRACT The modulation of FSH secretion at the beginning and middle of the follicular phase of the cycle represents the key event in the growth and selection of the preovulatory follicle. However, the mechanisms that operate within the pituitary gland to control the increased release of FSH and its subsequent inhibition in vivo remain unclear. Treatment of ewes with bovine follicular fluid (bFF) during the luteal phase has been previously shown to suppress the plasma concentrations of FSH and, following cessation of treatment on day 11, a rebound release of FSH occurs on days 12 and 13. When luteal regression is induced on day 12, this hypersecretion of FSH results in an increase in follicle growth and ovulation rate. To investigate the mechanisms involved in the control of FSH secretion, ewes were treated with twice daily s.c. injections of 5 ml bFF on days 3–11 of the oestrous cycle and luteal regression was induced on day 12 with prostaglandin (PG). The treated ewes and their controls were then killed on day 11 (luteal), or 16 or 32h after PG and their pituitaries removed and halved. One half was analysed for gonadotrophin and gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) receptor content. Total pituitary RNA was extracted from the other half and subjected to Northern analysis using probes for FSH-β, LH-β and common α subunit. Frequent blood samples were taken and assayed for gonadotrophins. FSH secretion was significantly (P<0.01) reduced during bFF treatment throughout the luteal phase and then significantly (P<0.01) increased after cessation of treatment, with maximum secretion being reached 18– 22h after PG, and then declining towards control values by 32h after PG. A similar pattern of LH secretion was seen after bFF treatment. Pituitary FSH content was significantly (P<0.05) reduced by bFF treatment at all stages of the cycle. No difference in the pituitary LH content was seen. The increase in GnRH receptor content after PG in the controls was delayed in the treated animals. Analysis of pituitary mRNA levels revealed that bFF treatment significantly (P<0.01) reduced FSH-β mRNA levels in the luteal phase. Increased levels of FSH-β, LH-β and α subunit mRNA were seen 16h after PG in the bFF-treated animals, at the time when FSH and LH secretion from the pituitary was near maximum. These results suggest that the rebound release of FSH after treatment with bFF (as a source of inhibin) is related to a rapid increase in FSH-β mRNA, supporting the concept that the rate of FSH release is directly related to the rate of synthesis.

The antagonistic effect of exogenous LH pulses on FSH-stimulated preovulatory follicle growth in ewes chronically treated with a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonist

1990 ◽  
Vol 127 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. Picton ◽  
C. G. Tsonis ◽  
A. S. McNeilly
Keyword(s):  
Luteal Phase ◽  
Follicular Development ◽  
High Amplitude ◽  
Follicle Growth ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Continuous Administration ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
The Mean

ABSTRACT The hypogonadotrophism model induced by the chronic administration of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist was used to investigate the effects of different concentrations of FSH with or without LH pulses on the stimulation of follicular development in the ewe. Continuous administration of an agonist (buserelin) by osmotic minipump to thirty-six Welsh Mountain ewes from the early luteal phase for 5 weeks resulted in a sustained suppression of the plasma concentration of FSH and inhibited the pulsatile release of LH. The inhibition of gonadotrophin secretion was due to the desensitization and/or down-regulation of pituitary gonadotroph function, since the agonist-treated animals showed no response to a challenge of 1 μg GnRH. During week 6 of agonist treatment, ewes were infused with either 4-hourly pulses of ovine LH (9 μg/pulse), low concentrations of ovine FSH (3 μg/h) or high concentrations of FSH (9 μg/h) alone or with 4-hourly pulses of LH. After 5 days of gonadotrophin infusion, there was no difference between the mean number of follicles per ewe from the animals treated with LH alone, low concentrations of FSH with or without LH pulses or the high concentration of FSH alone compared with the mean number of follicles from control ewes on day 8 of the luteal phase. Infusion of the high concentration of FSH alone stimulated the development of an increased number of large oestrogenic follicles (follicles > 2·5 mm in diameter and secreting > 3·7 nmol oestradiol/h in vitro) compared with control ewes. The addition of high-amplitude LH pulses to the infusion of the high concentration of FSH prevented follicles developing beyond 2·5 mm in diameter, but doubled the number of small follicles (≤2·5 mm) present in the ovaries. These results show that normal follicular development can be induced by physiological concentrations of FSH alone in the absence of pulsatile LH release. The addition of high-amplitude LH pulses antagonized this stimulatory effect of FSH on follicle growth in the ewe. Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 127, 273–283

Effects of corticotropin-releasing hormone and its antagonist on the gene expression of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and GnRH receptor in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland of follicular phase ewes

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Ciechanowska ◽  
Magdalena Łapot ◽  
Tadeusz Malewski ◽  
Krystyna Mateusiak ◽  
Tomasz Misztal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Pituitary Gland ◽  
Anterior Pituitary ◽  
Follicular Phase ◽  
Gnrh Receptor ◽  
Corticotropin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Gonadotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Lh Secretion ◽  
Crh Receptors

There is no information in the literature regarding the effect of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) on genes encoding gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and the GnRH receptor (GnRHR) in the hypothalamus or on GnRHR gene expression in the pituitary gland in vivo. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate, in follicular phase ewes, the effects of prolonged, intermittent infusion of small doses of CRH or its antagonist (α-helical CRH 9-41; CRH-A) into the third cerebral ventricle on GnRH mRNA and GnRHR mRNA levels in the hypothalamo–pituitary unit and on LH secretion. Stimulation or inhibition of CRH receptors significantly decreased or increased GnRH gene expression in the hypothalamus, respectively, and led to different responses in GnRHR gene expression in discrete hypothalamic areas. For example, CRH increased GnRHR gene expression in the preoptic area, but decreased it in the hypothalamus/stalk median eminence and in the anterior pituitary gland. In addition, CRH decreased LH secretion. Blockade of CRH receptors had the opposite effect on GnRHR gene expression. The results suggest that activation of CRH receptors in the hypothalamus of follicular phase ewes can modulate the biosynthesis and release of GnRH through complex changes in the expression of GnRH and GnRHR genes in the hypothalamo–anterior pituitary unit.

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