Role of the subcommissural organ in the control of gonadotrophin secretion in the female rat

1982 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrizia Limonta ◽  
Roberto Maggi ◽  
Luciano Martini ◽  
Flavio Piva

Thermal lesions were placed in the subcommissural organ (SCO) of female rats with normal cycles and long-term ovariectomized rats. In normal female rats SCO lesions disrupted the oestrous cycle in more than half of the animals, the majority of which entered a state of prolonged dioestrus. In these animals, serum gonadotrophin levels were similar to those of rats with regular cycles on day 2 of dioestrus. In animals in which the oestrous cycle was maintained, a delayed LH surge occurred on the day of pro-oestrus and the pro-oestrous FSH surge was absent. The usual increase in FSH on the day of oestrus was present. Lesions in the SCO did not change the high gonadotrophin levels typical of ovariectomized animals. These results suggested that the SCO may play a role in the control of the cyclic but not the tonic release of the gonadotrophins. In particular, it appears that the SCO might be involved in the regulation of the hypersecretion of FSH during the day of pro-oestrus.

1982 ◽  
Vol 93 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Piva ◽  
P. Limonta ◽  
L. Martini

The organum vasculosum laminae terminalis (OVLT) was destroyed by radiofrequency lesions in regularly cycling and in long-term ovariectomized adult rats. After OVLT lesion practically all cyclic females (16 out of 22) became dioestrous, as indicated by vaginal smears. At the time of killing these animals (8 days after the lesion) serum LH levels were undetectable, while serum FSH was as low as in cyclic animals in dioestrus. In the few OVLT-lesioned animals which exhibited some sort of oestrous cyclicity, serum LH showed a small subphysiological increase at pro-oestrus: this was not accompanied by a parallel increase in serum FSH and in these animals a delayed peak of FSH occurred on the day of oestrus. Ovariectomized rats bearing OVLT lesions had serum titres of LH and FSH as high as those of ovariectomized control rats. It is suggested that the OVLT may play a role in the control of the cyclic release of gonadotrophins but is not involved in the tonic regulation of gonadotrophin secretion.


1977 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. BROWN-GRANT ◽  
M. B. TER HAAR

SUMMARY The possible occurrence of long-term changes in gonadotrophin control mechanisms following the administration of oestrogen to adult female rats has been studied. Administration of 2·5 mg oestradiol benzoate (OB) to normal female rats at 60 days of age did not result in failure of ovulation at 120 days of age but significant impairment of the LH and FSH responses to progesterone after ovariectomy and oestrogen priming was observed at 160–180 days of age. Treatment with the same dose of OB at 60 days of rats injected with 10 μg testosterone propionate on Day 4 of postnatal life resulted in an increased incidence of failure of ovulation at 120 though not at 150 days of age but did not further impair the already reduced gonadotrophin response to progesterone at 160–180 days of age. Removal of the ovaries at 60 days of age did not modify the effects of oestrogen given at 60 days of age in either group nor did ovariectomy at 60 days improve the response of neonatally androgen-treated rats to progesterone at 160–180 days of age. The increases in plasma prolactin and TSH levels in response to oestrogen priming after ovariectomy were not affected in any of the experimental groups. The administration of a long-acting oestrogen preparation (oestradiol cyclopentyl propionate, 2·5 mg at 60 days of age) to normal female rats suppressed ovulation and depressed plasma LH and FSH concentrations for at least 90 days; anterior pituitary weights were greatly increased and plasma prolactin concentrations were very high.


1970 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. DANON ◽  
C. P. WELLER ◽  
F. G. SULMAN

SUMMARY Treatment of intact or recently (1 day) ovariectomized female rats with 5 mg perphenazine (Trilafon)/kg/day for 5 days resulted in marked lobulo—alveolar differentiation of the mammary glands. Perphenazine failed to stimulate mammogenesis in chronically (12 days) ovariectomized rats, unless they had been primed with oestradiol. However, mammogenic effects in chronically ovariectomized rats were obtained after implantation of minute amounts (2 μg) of oestradiol into the median eminence, or after treatment for 16 days with the non-steroid pituitary gonadotrophin-inhibitor methallibure (ICI 33828; 20 mg/kg/day). Since these latter procedures counteract the gonadotrophin surge after ovariectomy, it would appear that inhibition of gonadotrophin secretion is necessary before prolactin secretion can be stimulated by perphenazine. Castrated male rats responded to perphenazine with lobulo—alveolar differentiation similar to that in intact males. The implications of this difference with regard to the mechanism of pituitary response to gonadectomy are discussed.


1983 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. van der Schoot ◽  
W. J. de Greef

The present study was concerned with the control of luteal activity in female rats which had been treated neonatally with 1·25 mg testosterone propionate (TP). Treatment of such rats in adulthood with 15 i.u. human chorionic gonadotrophin induced ovulation followed by a period of luteal activity. The two daily surges of prolactin secretion, typical for a period of luteal activity in the normal female rat, were not observed in TP-treated females. Instead, higher basal levels of prolactin were observed in TP-treated females than in normal female rats. Furthermore, uterine traumatization at 5 days after ovulation did not result in the formation of decidual tissue. In intact TP-treated females luteal activity, induced and temporarily sustained by an ectopic pituitary transplant, persisted after removal of the pituitary graft. In contrast, in TP-treated females which had been ovariectomized on day 25 of age and had received an ovarian transplant before induction of the luteal phase, luteal activity ended within a week after removal of the ectopic pituitary gland. Females treated with TP which had been ovariectomized on day 25 of life had lower plasma levels of prolactin and higher levels of dopamine in hypophysial stalk plasma than intact TP-treated females when measured at 4 months of age. Treatment of ovariectomized rats with oestradiol-17β increased levels of prolactin in plasma and lowered levels of dopamine in hypophysial stalk plasma. It is concluded that the control of luteal activity in TP-treated females shows 'male' characteristics. However, the presence of the ovaries in such rats leads to decreased hypothalamic release of dopamine and increased plasma levels of prolactin, probably due to increased oestrogen levels. These increased levels of prolactin are sufficient to maintain luteal activity.


1973 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. C. Griffiths ◽  
K. C. Hooper

ABSTRACT The activity of peptidases in the rat hypothalamus which are capable of inactivating oxytocin has previously been found to vary with stimuli known to influence gonadotrophin release and may be related to both luteinizing hormone (LH) and luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LH-RF) release (Griffith & Hooper 1972a,b). In the present study, enzyme activity was determined in normal female rats during the morning and afternoon of each stage of the oestrous cycle, in normal rats, and in female rats injected neonatally with testosterone. The activity of the supernatant fraction was found to be not significantly different during the morning of each stage, but was greatly decreased on the afternoon of pro-oestrus; particulate activity did not vary during the oestrous cycle. Supernatant and particulate activities were found to be the same in normal male rats and testosterone-treated females, as previously shown. Both fractions' activities were significantly less than those found in the oestrous cycle, other than on the afternoon of pro-oestrus. These results indicate changes in hypothalamic peptidase activity during the oestrous cycle which may be inversely related to LH and LH-RF release; they also confirm the masculinizing effect of neonatal testosterone on the hypothalamus.


1981 ◽  
Vol 198 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Thrower ◽  
L Lim

Oestradiol administration to immature or ovariectomized rats has been reported to increase the uterine content of long-term nuclear oestrogen receptors. However, in the intact adult female rat, oestradiol administration did not increase the concentration of long-term nuclear oestrogen receptors at all phases of the oestrous cycle. Progesterone administration to rats in late dioestrus did not affect the concentration of uterine nuclear oestrogen receptors 24 h later, although it did prevent the normal cyclic increase at pro-oestrus in the concentration of hypothalamic nuclear oestrogen receptors. Our results therefore show that in the intact adult rat, factors other than the concentration of progesterone or oestradiol determine the nuclear concentration of oestrogen receptors in the uterus. They also demonstrate differences between neural and non-neural tissues in the regulation of oestrogen-receptor interactions.


1982 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. M. A. MEIJS-ROELOFS ◽  
P. KRAMER ◽  
L. GRIBLING-HEGGE

A possible role of 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol (3α-androstanediol) in the control of FSH secretion was studied at various ages in ovariectomized rats. In the rat strain used, vaginal opening, coincident with first ovulation, generally occurs between 37 and 42 days of age. If 3α-androstanediol alone was given as an ovarian substitute, an inhibitory effect on FSH release was evident with all three doses tested (50, 100, 300 μg/100 g body wt) between 13 and 30 days of age; at 33–35 days of age only the 300 μg dose caused some inhibition of FSH release. Results were more complex if 3α-androstanediol was given in combined treatment with oestradiol and progesterone. Given with progesterone, 3α-androstanediol showed a synergistic inhibitory action on FSH release between 20 and 30 days of age. However, when 3α-androstanediol was combined with oestradiol a clear decrease in effect, as compared to the effect of oestradiol alone, was found between 20 and 30 days of age. Also the effect of combined oestradiol and progesterone treatment was greater than the effect of combined treatment with oestradiol, progesterone and 3α-androstanediol. At all ages after day 20 none of the steroid combinations tested was capable of maintaining FSH levels in ovariectomized rats similar to those in intact rats. It is concluded that 3α-androstanediol might play a role in the control of FSH secretion in the immature rat, but after day 20 the potentially inhibitory action of 3α-androstanediol on FSH secretion is limited in the presence of oestradiol.


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 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 157 (1) ◽  
pp. 323-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna Kalil ◽  
Aline B. Ribeiro ◽  
Cristiane M. Leite ◽  
Ernane T. Uchôa ◽  
Ruither O. Carolino ◽  
...  

Abstract In rodents, kisspeptin neurons in the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V) of the preoptic area are considered to provide a major stimulatory input to the GnRH neuronal network that is responsible for triggering the preovulatory LH surge. Noradrenaline (NA) is one of the main modulators of GnRH release, and NA fibers are found in close apposition to kisspeptin neurons in the RP3V. Our objective was to interrogate the role of NA signaling in the kisspeptin control of GnRH secretion during the estradiol induced LH surge in ovariectomized rats, using prazosin, an α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist. In control rats, the estradiol-induced LH surge at 17 hours was associated with a significant increase in GnRH and kisspeptin content in the median eminence with the increase in kisspeptin preceding that of GnRH and LH. Prazosin, administered 5 and 3 hours prior to the predicted time of the LH surge truncated the LH surge and abolished the rise in GnRH and kisspeptin in the median eminence. In the preoptic area, prazosin blocked the increases in Kiss1 gene expression and kisspeptin content in association with a disruption in the expression of the clock genes, Per1 and Bmal1. Together these findings demonstrate for the first time that NA modulates kisspeptin synthesis in the RP3V through the activation of α1-adrenergic receptors prior to the initiation of the LH surge and indicate a potential role of α1-adrenergic signaling in the circadian-controlled pathway timing of the preovulatory LH surge.


Hypertension ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chetan N Patil ◽  
Carolina Dalmasso ◽  
Rodrigo O Maranon ◽  
Huimin Zhang ◽  
Richard J Roman ◽  
...  

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive disorder in premenopausal women, is characterized by hyperandrogenemia, metabolic syndrome and inflammation. They also exhibit elevated blood pressure (BP) but may not be treated since they do not meet the criteria for hypertension (BP>130/90 mm Hg). We have characterized a female rat model of hyperandrogenemia (HAF) using dihydrotestosterone (DHT) that mimics many characteristics of women with PCOS. In the present study we tested the hypothesis that androgen-induced upregulation of the cytochrome P450 4A2 isoform (CYP4A2) and the formation of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in renal microvasculature contributes to the elevated BP in HAF rats. Female rats of SS.5BN consomic strain (wild type) rats and CYP4A2-/- rats on this same background were implanted with DHT (7.5mg/90d) or placebo pellets (n=5-8/grp) beginning at 6 wks of age; pellets were changed every 85 d. At 14 wks of age, rats were implanted with radiotelemetry transmitters, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured for 10 days. Endogenous 20-HETE levels were measured using LC-MS in renal microvessels isolated using an Evans Blue sieving technique. DHT-treated HAF-SS.5BN rats had significantly higher MAP compared to placebo-SS.5BN (128±6 vs. 104±1 mmHg, p<0.004). In contrast, HAF-CYP4A2-/- rats had no change in MAP compared to placebo-CYP4A2-/- controls (120±4 vs 118±3 mmHg, p=NS). Endogenous 20-HETE levels in renal microvessels of HAF-SS.5BN rats were significantly increased compared to Placebo-SS.5BN (2.27±0.91 vs. 0.32±0.037 pmol/mg, p<0.01). The 20-HETE levels were lower in CYP4A2-/- than SS.5BN but DHT in HAF-CYP4A2-/- had no effect on 20-HETE levels compared to Placebo- CYP4A2-/-. These results suggest that androgen-mediated upregulation of the expression of CYP4A2 and the production of 20-HETE in renal microvessels contribute to elevated BP in HAF rats. These data also suggest that methods to attenuate 20-HETE may provide a novel therapeutic to reduce BP in women with PCOS. Work supported by NIH RO1HL66072 and PO1HL51971.


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