Effect of acute immunoneutralization of endogenous leptin on prolactin and LH secretion during the afternoon of pro-oestrus or in steroid-treated ovariectomized female rats

Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 39-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
LC Gonzalez ◽  
L Pinilla ◽  
M Tena-Sempere ◽  
C Dieguez ◽  
FF Casanueva ◽  
...  

Recent data indicate that leptin is involved in the control of reproductive function. Experiments were carried out to analyse the role of endogenous leptin in the regulation of LH and prolactin secretion during the afternoon of pro-oestrus and that induced by ovarian steroids in ovariectomized rats. In the first experiment, cyclic female rats were implanted with intra-auricular and intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) cannulae and, at pro-oestrus, were injected (i.c.v.) with 10 microliters normal rabbit serum or leptin antiserum (at 13:00 and 14:00 h). Blood samples were obtained at 10:00 h and at intervals of 1 h between 13:00 and 20:00 h. In the second experiment, female rats in pro-oestrus were injected with normal rabbit serum or leptin antiserum at 16:00 and 18:00 h and blood samples were taken every 10 min between 18:00 and 20:00 h. In the third experiment, adult female rats that had been ovariectomized 2 weeks before were implanted with intra-auricular and i.c.v. cannulae and treated with oestradiol benzoate (30 micrograms s.c.) at 10:00 h and progesterone (2 mg s.c.) 48 h later. Normal rabbit serum (10 microliters) or leptin antiserum (10 microliters) were injected (i.c.v.) at 13:00 and 14:00 h, and blood samples were obtained at 10:00 h and at intervals of 1 h between 13:00 and 20:00 h. In the fourth experiment, hemipituitaries from ovariectomized steroid-treated female rats were incubated in the presence of leptin116-130 (an active fragment of the native molecule), GnRH or leptin + GnRH. Prolactin and LH secretion during the afternoon of pro-oestrus in females treated with leptin antiserum was similar to that observed in animals injected with normal rabbit serum. In ovariectomized female rats, the steroid-induced LH surge increased slightly after administration of leptin antiserum, whereas the prolactin surge remained unchanged. In vitro, leptin116-130 (10(-5) to 10(-8) mol l-1) inhibited LH secretion and modulated the effect of GnRH on LH release, depending on the concentration of GnRH: leptin116-130 (10(-6) mol l-1) reduced the effectiveness of 10(-7) mol GnRH l-1 and increased that of 10(-9) mol GnRH l-1. In conclusion, these experiments indicate that acute immunoneutralization of endogenous leptin does not interfere with spontaneous or steroid-induced LH and prolactin surges. In addition, the finding that leptin116-130 inhibited LH release and modulated the effectiveness of GnRH in vitro provides evidence of the direct modulatory role of leptin on LH secretion acting at the pituitary.

1984 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-203
Author(s):  
A. Miyake ◽  
K. Tasaka ◽  
T. Aono

Abstract. The direct effects of oestradiol-17β (E2) on pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) release and the role of norepinephrine (NE) in E2-induced gonadtrophin release were examined in a sequential double chamber perifusion system by perifusing the mediobasal hypothalami (MBH) and/or pituitaries excised from normally cycling female rats. Administration of E2 induced significant release (70–160% increase, P < 0.05) of LH from the pituitary of rats in pro-oestrus, but not in other stages of the oestrous cycle. When the MBH and the pituitary were perifused in sequence, E2 induced significant release of LH in all stages of the oestrous cycle except oestrus. When the pituitary from rats in dioestrus II was perifused alone with medium containing 200 ng/ml NE, significant release of LH (80–170% increase, P < 0.05) was observed after the administration of E2. The E2-induced LH release in pro-oestrus was completely abolished by perifusion with medium containing diethyldithiocarbamate, an inhibitor of NE synthesis. These findings suggest that NE may be involved in changes of pituitary responsiveness in LH secretion to oestrogen during the rat oestrous cycle.


1983 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 272-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. van Rees ◽  
J. A. M. J. van Dieten ◽  
J. de Koning ◽  
A. F. P. M. de Goey

Abstract. Ovariectomized rats were injected iv with an antiserum against LRH or normal rabbit serum. AntiLRH caused a decrease of plasma LH and FSH. After 24 or 48 h, the rats were decapitated and the pituitary glands incubated in the presence of an analogue of LRH which reacts minimally with anti-LRH (Buserelin). Pretreatment with anti-LRH caused an increased response of pituitary LH release to Buserelin. Similar results were obtained with regard to FSH. In this case, however, basal release of FSH was lowered by pre-treatment with antiLRH. Pituitary LH and FSH contents were not affected by anti-LRH, but synthesis of LH and FSH in vitro was smaller than in control glands obtained from rats pretreated with normal rabbit serum.


1984 ◽  
Vol 247 (4) ◽  
pp. E483-E488
Author(s):  
M. Haji ◽  
G. S. Roth ◽  
M. R. Blackman

Various in vivo and in vitro pituitary lactotropic and gonadotropic functions were measured in mature (6-7 mo, normally cycling) and old (24 mo, constant diestrus) female Wistar rats. Serum prolactin (PRL) levels were higher (P less than 0.001), whereas luteinizing hormone (LH) values were similar (P greater than 0.05) in old versus mature rats both before and 3 days after ovariectomy. Serum PRL levels decreased significantly (P less than 0.005) postovariectomy only in the mature rats. The in vitro release of PRL and LH was measured for 4 days in primary adenohypophyseal cell cultures from the ovariectomized rats. Both basal and 17 beta-estradiol (E2)-stimulated PRL release (P less than 0.001) and production (P less than 0.005) were greater by cells from old rats. In contrast, both basal release and E2-stimulated LH release were greater (P less than 0.001) by cells from mature rats. Peak PRL release by cells from both old and mature rats occurred after exposure to E2 doses 1/100th of those required for peak LH release. These data support the hypothesis that intrinsic derangements in anterior pituitary function contribute to the reproductive decline in aging female rats and that different pituitary cell types exhibit discordant age changes in estrogenic sensitivity.


1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Csilla Ruzsas ◽  
Patrizia Limonta ◽  
L. Martini

The role of brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in the control of LH, FSH and prolactin secretion was studied in two groups of experimental animals: intact adult male rats and ovariectomized adult female rats. 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor of serotonin synthesis, and fluoxetine, a specific inhibitor of 5-HT uptake, were given either alone or together. 5-Hydroxytryptophan (50 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally and fluoxetine (20 μg/rat) was given into one of the lateral ventricles of the brain. Neither 5-HTP nor fluoxetine given alone affected LH secretion but combined treatment with the two drugs elicited a significant increase in serum LH levels in both intact male and ovariectomized female rats. Fluoxetine and 5-HTP, alone or together, did not modify FSH secretion in either kind of animal. In intact males and in ovariectomized females, 5-HTP induced a significant increase in prolactin release; fluoxetine alone was ineffective. In male animals treated with fluoxetine plus 5-HTP, serum prolactin levels increased but such an increase was lower than that found in the animals treated only with 5-HTP. In ovariectomized rats, the combined treatment induced an increase in serum prolactin levels similar to that found in animals treated with 5-HTP alone. These data suggested that brain serotonin exerts a stimulating effect on LH secretion in both intact male and ovariectomized rats, but that it does not play any role in the control of FSH release in either kind of animal and that central serotoninergic pathways participate in the stimulating control of prolactin release from the anterior pituitary gland. However, some of the data also suggested the possibility of the existence in the brain of serotoninergic systems inhibiting prolactin secretion.


1993 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. M. Salicioni ◽  
R. W. Carón ◽  
R. P. Deis

ABSTRACT There is evidence that the adrenals play a role in the regulation of the synthesis and release of gonadotrophins in various vertebrates. The aim of this study was to determine the part played by adrenal steroids, with special reference to progesterone, on the concentration of LH in ovariectomized (OVX) and oestrogen-primed rats. OVX rats received a single s.c. injection of vehicle or oestradiol benzoate (OB, 20 μg/rat). This day was designated as day 0. Three or four days later (day 3–day 4), the rats were treated with mifepristone (10 mg/kg) or with two doses of progesterone antiserum and blood samples were obtained at 13.00 and 18.00 h. OB treatment of OVX rats reduced serum LH at 13.00 h and 18.00 h on day 3 but only at 13.00 h on day 4. The administration of mifepristone at 08.00 h to OVX and oestrogen-treated rats induced a significant increase in serum LH at 18.00 h on days 3 and 4, without modifying the values at 13.00 h. When mifepristone was given at 13.00 h a much larger increase in serum LH was obtained at 18.00 h. In OVX and oestrogen-treated rats, adrenalectomy on day 2 (08.00–09.00 h) induced an increase in serum LH at 18.00 h similar to that observed in the OVX and oestrogen-primed rats after mifepristone treatment. In order to determine the specificity of the effect of mifepristone, a group of OVX and oestrogentreated rats was injected with progesterone antiserum at 08.00 and 13.00 h on day 3. Serum LH concentrations at 13.00 and 18.00 h on day 3 were similar to values obtained in OVX rats treated with oestrogen and mifepristone. Serum progesterone was measured at 08.00 and 13.00 h in OVX and OVX and oestrogenprimed rats. At both times, values were similar in OVX rats but oestrogen treatment significantly increased serum progesterone levels. The important role of adrenal progesterone on the regulation of LH secretion in OVX and oestrogen-primed rats is evident from these results. Blocking progesterone action at the receptor level, we showed that OB significantly increased LH values at 18.00 h. On the basis of these studies it is tempting to speculate on the possibility of an inhibitory or stimulatory effect of oestrogen on serum LH concentration in OVX rats, according to the presence or absence of adrenal progesterone action. Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 139, 253–258


1995 ◽  
Vol 145 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
J J Evans ◽  
S J Hurd ◽  
D R Mason

Abstract Although GnRH is believed to be the primary secretagogue for LH, oxytocin has also been shown to stimulate LH release from the anterior pituitary. We investigated the possibility that the two secretagogues interact in the modulation of LH release. Anterior pituitaries were removed from adult female rats at pro-oestrus, and tissue pieces were pre-incubated in oxytocin for 3 h prior to being stimulated with 15 min pulses of GnRH. LH output over the 1 h period from the beginning of the GnRH pulse was determined. Control incubations were carried out in the absence of oxytocin, and background secretory activities without GnRH stimulation were also determined. Tissue which was pre-exposed to oxytocin (0·012–1·25 μm) had an increased LH response to GnRH (1·25 nm). The increase was larger than the sum of the LH outputs obtained with oxytocin and GnRH separately, revealing that oxytocin synergistically enhanced LH secretion elicited by GnRH (P<0·05; ANOVA). If stimulation by GnRH was delayed for 2 h after incubation with oxytocin, an increase in LH secretion was still observed, indicating that oxytocin-induced modulation did not rapidly disappear. Oxytocin pre-incubation was observed to result in an increase of maximal GnRH-induced LH output (P<0·001; t-test), as well as an increase of intermediate responses. The LH response of the anterior pituitary to subsequent pulses of GnRH was modified by the self-priming process. The effect of oxytocin pretreatment on the response of primed tissue to GnRH was also investigated. It was found that pre-incubation in oxytocin also enhanced the LH response of primed tissue to GnRH. The study has revealed that oxytocin increases the LH output of anterior pituitary tissue in response to GnRH. The effect occurs on both GnRH-primed and unprimed tissues. The results suggest that oxytocin has the potential to regulate the dynamics of the pro-oestrous LH surge. Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 145, 113–119


1980 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. BLANK ◽  
A. E. PANERAI ◽  
H. G. FRIESEN

The effects of subcutaneous injections of the opiate antagonist naloxone on the tonic and phasic secretion of prolactin and LH were studied in rats. During development, resting levels of prolactin in serum were decreased by naloxone (2·5 mg/kg body wt) on days 24,45 and 50 in female rats and on days 28,45 and 50 in male rats. In the adult, naloxone (2·5 mg/kg body wt) decreased basal levels of serum prolactin in male rats and levels during oestrus in female rats. In 25-day-old female rats, serum LH rose from resting levels within 7·5 min of naloxone administration (2·5 mg/kg body wt) and returned to pretreatment levels by 30 min, while prolactin fell by 7·5 min and remained low for as long as 60 min after treatment. Furthermore, a tenfold lower dose of naloxone (0·25 mg/kg body wt) did not raise basal levels of serum LH but still decreased resting levels of serum prolactin in immature female rats (24 days old). The effect of naloxone (2·5 mg/kg body wt) on phasic LH release was studied in 29-day-old immature female rats primed on day 27 with pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG). In these PMSG-treated rats the onset of the prolactin surge was blunted by naloxone while it had no effect on phasic LH release. Naloxone (5 mg/kg body wt) also induced a rise in levels of serum LH in ovariectomized rats and, if administered with morphine, it reversed the short-term inhibition of LH secretion caused by morphine. However, naloxone was ineffective after pretreatment with oestradiol benzoate. These findings suggest that the responses of serum LH and prolactin to naloxone were dissociated and that oestrogens and opiate peptides may have interacted to regulate secretion of LH.


1987 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Södersten ◽  
P. Eneroth

ABSTRACT Ovariectomy and treatment with oestradiol benzoate (10 μg OB) on the day before behavioural oestrus eliminated the preovulatory surge of LH and reduced the level of sexual receptivity on the following day. Sexual behaviour, but not the LH surge, was restored by progesterone (0·5 mg) given 18 h later. Injection of OB on the day after behavioural oestrus induced a small release of LH and normal sexual behaviour on the following day. Ovariectomy on the day after behavioural oestrus reduced the stimulatory effect of OB on sexual behaviour and eliminated its weakly stimulatory effect on LH release. Sexual behaviour, but not the small LH surge, was restored in these animals by progesterone (0·5 mg) given 18 h later. Treatment of rats ovariectomized 2 days before the day of the LH surge with implants containing oestradiol or injections of oestradiol (1 μg) induced LH surges but the amplitudes of these LH surges were much smaller than those of the normal LH surge. Treatment of intact rats with OB increased serum progesterone levels 24 h later, an effect which was eliminated by ovariectomy. Injections of LH (20 μg) into intact rats on the day after behavioural oestrus also increased serum progesterone concentrations but failed to stimulate sexual behaviour. It is suggested that OB treatment of intact rats on the day after behavioural oestrus stimulates sexual behaviour by inducing a surge of LH secretion which activates ovarian secretion of progesterone. Thus, oestrogen and progesterone but not the LH surge are essential for sexual behaviour. Whereas oestradiol and progesterone restore normal sexual behaviour in ovariectomized rats, additional ovarian factors may be required for induction of normal LH surges. J. Endocr. (1987) 112, 133–138


2006 ◽  
Vol 190 (3) ◽  
pp. 593-600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beverly A S Reyes ◽  
Hiroko Tsukamura ◽  
Helen I’Anson ◽  
Maria Amelita C Estacio ◽  
Kanjun Hirunagi ◽  
...  

Fasting-induced LH suppression is augmented by estrogen in female rats. We investigated the temporal changes in the number of estrogen receptor α (ERα)-immunoreactive (ir) cells in various brain regions in ovariectomized rats fasted for 6, 24, 30, and 48 h, commencing at 1300 h. We also determined the anatomical relationship of ERα immunoreactivity and dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH) neurons in the A2 region of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The number of ERα-ir cells significantly increased after 30 h from the onset of fasting in the PVN and NTS compared with the unfasted controls and was sustained until 48 h. In the A2 region of 48-h fasted rats, 46.75% DBH-ir cells expressed ERα, and this was significantly higher than in unfasted controls (8.16% DBH-ir cells expressed ERα). In the PVN, most ERα-ir neurons were juxtaposed with DBH-ir varicosities. These results suggest that ERα is expressed in specific brain regions at a defined time from the onset of fasting. In addition, the anatomical relationship of noradrenergic and ERα-ir neurons in the A2 region and PVN may suggest a role for estrogen in increasing the activity of noradrenergic neurons in the A2 region and enhancing sensitivity of the PVN to noradrenergic input arising from the lower brainstem and thereby augmenting the suppression of LH secretion during fasting.


1988 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shirou Ohtsuka ◽  
Akira Miyake ◽  
Takamichi Nishizaki ◽  
Keiichi Tasaka ◽  
Osamu Tanizawa

Abstract. The effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) on the releases of LH and GnRH were examined in a sequential double chamber perifusion system by perifusing the medio-basal hypothalamus and/or pituitary excised from normal female rats in diestrus or ovariectomized rats. When the medio-basal hypothalamus and pituitary from normal rats in series were perifused with VIP (10−6 mol/l), the concentration of LH in the efflux was increased by 59–181% above that before the injection (P < 0.05), VIP having a dosedependent effect. VIP had no effect on LH release from the pituitary perifused alone. Infusion of VIP at 10−6 mol/l induced a significant release (84–159% increase, P < 0.05) of GnRH from the medio-basal hypothalamus. Infusion of 10−6 mol/l VIP induced a significant release (41–99% increase, P < 0.05) of LH in ovariectomized rats. These findings suggest that VIP induces GnRH release from the medio-basal hypothalamus, resulting in LH release from the pituitary, and that this process does not require ovarian estrogen.


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