CHANGES IN THE LEVELS OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE AND TESTOSTERONE IN THE CIRCULATION OF AGEING MALE RATS

1978 ◽  
Vol 76 (3) ◽  
pp. 551-552 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. GRAY

Department of Physiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, U.S.A. (Received 26 September 1977) Pituitary-testicular function changes substantially with increasing age in male rats; the levels of testosterone and gonadotrophins in the circulation are reduced in old animals (Ghanadian, Lewis & Chisholm, 1976; Riegle & Meites, 1976; Chan, Leathem & Esashi, 1977). However, previous studies compared only young and very old rats (more than 18 months) and the development of age-related changes in the concentrations of testosterone and gonadotrophins has not been examined. Since ageing is a complex interaction of physiological changes over a prolonged period of time, information on the precise timing of the various changes is important in establishing functional relationships in the ageing process. This study investigates hormonal changes in a group of male rats between 8 and 21 months old. Adult male Long–Evans rats were housed three/cage in a temperature-controlled room with a 14

1990 ◽  
Vol 126 (3) ◽  
pp. 461-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. N. Sillence ◽  
R. G. Rodway

ABSTRACT The effects of trenbolone acetate (TBA) on growth and on plasma concentrations of corticosterone were examined in male and female rats. At 5 weeks of age, rats were injected with TBA (0·8 mg/kg) dissolved in peanut oil, or with oil alone, daily for 10 days. In female rats, TBA caused an increase in weight gain (20–38%), a reduction in adrenal weight (19%) and a reduction in plasma concentrations of corticosterone (55%). In contrast, TBA-treated male rats showed no significant increase in weight gain, no significant change in adrenal weight and no reduction in plasma concentrations of corticosterone. The mechanism by which adrenal activity was suppressed in TBA-treated female rats was examined and the response compared with that to testosterone. Female rats (8 weeks old) were injected daily either with oil vehicle, TBA (0·8 mg/kg) or testosterone propionate (0·8 mg/kg). Testosterone increased weight gain (24%), but the growth response to TBA treatment was significantly greater (97%). A reduction in plasma concentrations of corticosterone (45%) was again observed in response to TBA. However, testosterone increased plasma concentrations of corticosterone (52%) above those of control values. Neither androgen affected plasma concentrations of ACTH. Finally, the effects of TBA were examined in 6-week-old female rats, to characterize further the apparent age-related increase in responsiveness. The growth response of 6-week-old rats (60–74%) was intermediate between that seen in 5- and 8-week-old animals. It is concluded that part of the anabolic activity of TBA may be related to a reduction in circulating concentrations of corticosterone. The effect of TBA on corticosterone concentrations differs from that of the natural androgen, testosterone, and does not appear to be mediated by a reduction in plasma concentrations of ACTH. Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 126, 461–466


1984 ◽  
Vol 107 (3) ◽  
pp. 428-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Schoutens ◽  
M. Verhas ◽  
M. L'Hermite-Baleriaux ◽  
M. L'Hermite ◽  
A. Verschaeren ◽  
...  

Abstract. Orchidectomy in postpubertal 55 day old rats, compared to sham-operated controls, led beyond 2 months to a decrease in body weight (87% of controls by 120 d), tibial length (97% of controls) and in tibial calcium content (85% of controls). Bone plasma flow increased three times to reach a peak at 31 days; it was decreased but no significantly at 86 and 120 days. The number of oosteoclasts was maximal at 51 days (X 2.3) and was still elevated at 120 days. The calcium accretion rate increased briefly at 31 days (110% of controls) and was diminished at 86 and 120 days (78% of controls). The initial 'physiological' changes in the tibia occurred before any weight change and might be directly due to the lack of androgens. They can be interpreted as inducing the conditions for enhanced bone resorption. Testosterone replacement therapy, initiated after the initial haemodynamic response, inhibited the negative effect of castration on bone growth.


1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (4) ◽  
pp. C952-C957 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Yannariello-Brown ◽  
S. H. Chapman ◽  
W. F. Ward ◽  
T. C. Pappas ◽  
P. H. Weigel

Circulating hyaluronan (HA) levels were investigated as a function of age and diet in Fischer 344 male rats. A biphasic pattern of age-related changes was observed in rats fed ad libitum a diet in which the protein source was soya/fish meal. HA levels in 3- to 6- and 22- to 29-mo-old rats were not statistically different. However, HA levels in 12- to 20-mo-old rats were 10-29% of the levels in younger or aged adults. HA levels were also measured in rats fed ad libitum a semisynthetic diet in which the protein source was hydrolyzed casein. Whereas the two colonies exhibited similar biphasic age-related changes, HA levels differed 4- to 20-fold at every age examined. Caloric restriction affected HA levels in 19-mo-old casein-fed rats; HA levels were 2.3 times higher than age-matched controls and were not statistically different from young or aged animals. Serum and plasma HA levels were identical in the same individuals at all ages tested. These data suggest that HA turnover and metabolism in the rat are affected by age, dietary composition, and caloric intake.


1998 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 1903-1908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald R. Gomes ◽  
Frank W. Booth

We examined the age-related association in skeletal muscle between atrophy and expression of mRNAs encoding both the γ-subunit of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR), and myogenin, a transcription factor that upregulates expression of the γ-subunit promoter. Gastrocnemius and biceps brachii muscles were collected from young (2-mo-old), adult (18-mo-old), and old (31-mo-old) Fischer 344/Brown Norway F1 generation cross male rats. In the gastrocnemius muscles of old vs. young and adult rats, lower muscle mass was accompanied by significantly elevated AChR γ-subunit and myogenin mRNA levels. In contrast, the biceps brachii muscle exhibited neither atrophy nor as drastic a change in AChR γ-subunit and myogenin mRNA levels with age. Expression of the AChR ε-subunit mRNA did not change with age in either gastrocnemius or biceps brachii muscles. Thus changes in skeletal muscle AChR γ-subunit and myogenin mRNA levels may be more related to atrophy than to chronological age in old rats.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Vyskočilová ◽  
Barbora Szotáková ◽  
Lenka Skálová ◽  
Hana Bártíková ◽  
Jitka Hlaváčová ◽  
...  

Process of aging is accompanied by changes in the biotransformation of xenobiotics and impairment of normal cellular functions by free radicals. Therefore, this study was designed to determine age-related differences in the activities and/or expressions of selected drug-metabolizing and antioxidant enzymes in young and old rats. Specific activities of 8 drug-metabolizing enzymes and 4 antioxidant enzymes were assessed in hepatic subcellular fractions of 6-week-old and 21-month-old male Wistar rats. Protein expressions of carbonyl reductase 1 (CBR1) and glutathioneS-transferase (GST) were determined using immunoblotting. Remarkable age-related decrease in specific activities of CYP2B, CYP3A, and UDP-glucuronosyl transferase was observed, whereas no changes in activities of CYP1A2, flavine monooxygenase, aldo-keto reductase 1C, and antioxidant enzymes with advancing age were found. On the other hand, specific activity of CBR1 and GST was 2.4 folds and 5.6 folds higher in the senescent rats compared with the young ones, respectively. Interindividual variability in CBR1 activity increased significantly with rising age. We suppose that elevated activities of GST and CBR1 may protect senescent rats against xenobiotic as well as eobiotic electrophiles and reactive carbonyls, but they may alter metabolism of drugs, which are CBR1 and especially GSTs substrates.


1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (5) ◽  
pp. R1408-R1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruben Buñag ◽  
Jennifer Mellick ◽  
Brandy Allen

To determine whether the cardiovascular effects of chronic treatment with lisinopril are age related, we compared baroreflex sensitivity and pressor responsiveness in 4-mo- and 21-mo-old male rats that had been given oral lisinopril daily for 4 wk. Reflex bradycardia elicited by elevating blood pressure with phenylephrine was stronger in 4-mo-old rats than it was in 21-mo-old rats and also stronger in lisinopril-treated rats than it was in untreated rats of the same age. Pressor responses to angiotensin or norepinephrine were recorded after combined cholinergic and β-adrenergic blockade and then analyzed not only as absolute but also as percent increases in mean pressure. Although pressor responses seemed to be slightly reduced by lisinopril when expressed as absolute increases in mean pressure, corresponding percent increases were always larger in 4-mo-old rats than they were in 21-mo-old rats and were clearly enhanced by lisinopril more in younger rats. The stronger overall enhancement of pressor responsiveness and reflex bradycardia in younger rats suggests that the cardiovascular effects of lisinopril diminish with advancing age.


1990 ◽  
Vol 124 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Amir-Zaltsman ◽  
Y. Ausher ◽  
B. Gayer ◽  
S. Lichter ◽  
F. Serour ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The age-related changes in tissue response to chronic treatment for 1 month with a potent LHRH agonist were investigated in the ageing male rat, and the observed pharmacological effects were compared with orchidectomy. In both young (4 months) and old (22 months) rats, treatment resulted in a significant decrease in the weights of prostates and testes, a decrease in plasma LH and testosterone levels, a loss of LH receptors in the testes and in a complete depletion of prostatic nuclear androgen receptors, reaching levels observed after castration. In young rats, treatment with an LHRH agonist or orchidectomy induced a three- or sixfold increase in prostatic creatine kinase (CK) activity which may have been induced by the local stimulatory effect of oestradiol arising from the conversion of precursor steroids secreted by the adrenal. On the other hand, in old rats, 7 days after orchidectomy or after treatment with an LHRH agonist a twofold increase or no change was induced in prostatic CK activity respectively. SDS gel electrophoresis patterns of cytosolic prostatic proteins of young rats treated with an LHRH agonist or young rats orchidectomized 7 days previously revealed the presence of several intensified proteins, two of them having apparent molecular weight of 67 kDa and 43 kDa, whereas in the old rats treated with LHRH agonist or old rats castrated 7 days previously, these two proteins were not intensified. The results of this study confirmed that continuous treatment with an LHRH agonist to young and old rats induces medical castration since the pharmacological effects observed were the same as those induced with surgical castration. However, in the old rats, the lack of an increase in prostatic CK activity upon treatment with LHRH agonist, and the moderate increase in CK activity upon orchidectomy, suggest that prostatic cells in older rats have decreased sensitivity to hormonal manipulation. Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 124, 261–268


1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
D L Schmucker ◽  
J S Mooney ◽  
A L Jones

Stereological analysis of hepatic fine structure in Fischer 344 male rats at 1, 6, 10, 16, 20, 25, and 30 mo of age revealed differences in the amounts and distributions of hepatocellular organelles as a function of sublobular location or animal age. Between 1 and 16 mo of age, both the centrolobular and periportal hepatocytes increased in volume by 65 and 35%, respectively. Subsequently, the cell volumes declined until the hepatocytes of 30-mo-old rats approached the size of those found in the youngest animals. Regardless of animal age, the centrolobular cells were consistently larger than the corresponding periportal hepatocytes. The cytoplasmic and ground substance compartments reflected similar changes in their volumes, although there was no significant alteration in the nuclear volume. The volumes of the mitochondrial and microbody compartments increased and decreased concomitant with the changes in average hepatocyte size. Both lobular zones in the 30-mo-old rats contained significantly smaller relative volumes of mitochondria than similar parenchyma in 16-mo-old animals. The volume density of the dense bodies (lysosomes) increased markedly in both lobular zones between 1 and 30 mo of age, confirming reports of an age-dependent increase in this organelle. The surface area of the endoplasmic reticulum in the centrolobular and periportal hepatocytes reached its maximum level in the 10-mo-old rats and subsequently declined to amounts which approximated those measured in the 1-mo-old animals. This age-related loss of intracellular membrane is attributable to a significant reduction in the surface area of the smooth-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum (SER) in animals beyond 16 mo of age. The amount of rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum (RER) in the periportal parenchymal cells was unaffected by aging, but the centrolobular hepatocytes of 30-mo-old animals contained 90% more RER than similar cells in the youngest rats. The centrolobular parenchyma contained more SER and the portal zones more RER throughout the age span studied. These quantitative data suggest that (a) certain hepatic fine structural parameters undergo marked changes as a function of animal age, (b) there exists a gradient in hepatocellular fine structure across the entire liver lobule, and (c) there are remarkable similarities in hepatocyte ultrastructure between very young and senescent animals, including cell size and the amount of SER.


1991 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Parenti ◽  
D. Cocchi ◽  
G. Ceresoli ◽  
C. Marcozzi ◽  
E. E. Müller

ABSTRACT The mechanisms underlying the age-related decrease and increase in somatotroph responsiveness to growth hormone-releasing factor (GHRF) and somatostatin respectively were studied in rat pituitary membranes in vitro. Basal adenylate cyclase (AC) activity was similar in pituitary membranes from rats of 8 days (either sex) and male rats of 3 months, but it was almost threefold higher in membranes from male rats of 21–23 months. GHRF induced a lower percentage stimulation of AC activity in membranes from infant and old than adult rats. Somatostatin inhibited stimulation of AC induced by forskolin more effectively in membranes from adult than infant and old rats. In parallel experiments, since the tissue we used is formed by a mixed population of pituitary cells, we evaluated, for comparison, the effect on AC of neurohormones, i.e. vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and dopamine which act primarily on lactotrophs. VIP induced a lower fold-stimulation of AC activity in membranes from infant and old than adult rats. Dopamine inhibited forskolin-induced stimulation of AC in the following rank order of magnitude: old, adult and infant rats, and was also more effective in inhibiting basal AC activity in old than in adult rats. The stimulatory and inhibitory G proteins (Gs and Gi) coupled to AC were measured indirectly by evaluating stimulatory and inhibitory effects of different concentrations of GTP on AC. GTP, at stimulatory concentrations, increased AC activity in membranes from infant and adult rats similarly whereas its effect was significantly greater in membranes from old rats. Conversely, GTP, at inhibitory concentrations, decreased AC activity similarly in membranes from adult and infant rats, whereas in old rats inhibition was apparent at more than a tenfold lower concentration of GTP. These data suggest (1) that the greater somatotroph sensitivity to GHRF in terms of GH secretion of the early postnatal period is not due to supersensitive GHRF receptors but rather may be accounted for, at least partially, by the low function of somatostatinergic receptors; (2) that the inability of GHRF to stimulate GH release in aged rats probably results from an uncoupling between the GHRF receptor and the G protein; and (3) that in aged rats the decreased ability of somatostatin to inhibit AC activity, in spite of the high Gi activity, results from a reduced number of somatotroph cells and, hence, receptors. Journal of Endocrinology (1991) 131, 251–257


Author(s):  
Marziyeh Feyzi ◽  
Mohammad Reza Tabandeh ◽  
Mehrdad Shariati ◽  
Mohammad Amin Edalatmanesh

Introduction: Adiponectin is one of the most important adipose derived hormone that conflicting data are available about serum changes of adiponectin at different ages.The present study was done to determine the age related changes in serum adiponectin and its association with insulin resistance (IR) indices in aging in male rats. Methods: In this study, serum samples were obtained from male rats at different ages, including 2, 5, 10, 18, 52 and 72 weeks age (n=10 in each age group). Oral glucose tolerance and glucose stimulated insulin secretion tests were measured using determination of glucose concentrations at 15, 30, 45 and 60 min after oral ingestion of glucose (1 mg/kg body weight) for each animal. Serum adiponectin and insulin levels were determined using species specific ELISA kits. HOMA-IR was calculated based on glucose and insulin concentrations. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL) also using one way analysis of variance and LSD posthoc tests. Results: Our results showed an age dependent decrease in serum adiponectin concentration, and 72-week old rats had the lowest level of adiponectin compared with those in other ages (p<0.05). IR indices, including fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR and response to oral glucose ingestion was increased in an age dependent manner and 72-week old rats showed the highest levels of the IR indices. Conclusion: Regarding the role of adiponectin in glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitization, it seems that reduction of serum adiponectin with age progression may be an important mechanism of insulin resistance in aging.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document