Regulation of luteal activity in adult female rats treated neonatally with testosterone propionate

1983 ◽  
Vol 96 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. van der Schoot ◽  
W. J. de Greef
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Prolactin Secretion ◽  
Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Ovariectomized Rats ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Lower Plasma ◽  
Decidual Tissue

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.

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
Keyword(s):  
Subcommissural Organ ◽  
Oestrous Cycle ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Ovariectomized Rats ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Thermal Lesions ◽  
Gonadotrophin Secretion

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.

PROGESTERONE TREATMENT INCREASES PITUITARY OESTRADIOL RETENTION IN THE OVARIECTOMIZED NORMAL FEMALE RAT BUT NOT IN THE MALE NOR IN THE ANDROGEN- OR OESTROGEN-STERILIZED FEMALE RAT

1977 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert D. Lisk ◽  
Lawrence A. Reuter
Keyword(s):  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Ovariectomized Rats ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Nuclear Fraction ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Treatment Conditions ◽  
Oestradiol Benzoate ◽  
Pre Treatment

ABSTRACT Pituitary retention of [3H]oestradiol in ovariectomized rats was measured following in vivo progesterone pre-treatment and found to be significantly increased after 48, 72, 96 and 120 h of pre-treatment. Increased [3H]oestradiol retention was also observed for at least up to 72 h after removal of the progesterone pre-treatment source. This retention was measured as dpm per mg dry tissue weight. [3H]Oestradiol retention was also measured in the nuclear fraction of tissues incubated with [3H]oestradiol in vitro. Following 72 h of in vivo progesterone pre-treatment, the nuclear fraction from the pituitary was found to retain significantly more [3H]oestradiol than corresponding fractions from non-treated animals. In contrast to ovariectomized females, no increase in [3H]oestradiol retention was found in the pituitary of orchidectomized males pre-treated with progesterone for 72 h. [3H]Oestradiol retention by pituitaries of ovariectomized rats injected on the day of birth with 200 μg oestradiol benzoate (OeB) or 500 μg testosterone propionate (TP) was significantly decreased in comparison to control animals. When the rats were pre-treated in vivo with oestradiol for 6 or 72 h and [3H]oestradiol retention was measured 6 or 24 h after this pre-treatment, the OeB and TP treated animals retained significantly less [3H]oestradiol under most treatment conditions. Progesterone pretreatment for 24 or 72 h in vivo followed by measurement of [3H]oestradiol retention immediately or 6 or 24 h later resulted in a significant increase in [3H]oestradiol retention for the control animals. In contrast, the neonatally OeB or TP treated animals differed significantly by not showing increased retention. When [3H]oestradiol retention of the pituitary was measured in vitro following homogenization at 0°C and incubation at 37°C for 1 h, the nuclear fraction from both OeB and TP treated animals was found to retain less hormone per unit DNA; however, this decrease was significant only for the TP animals. Thus, males and androgen- or oestrogensterilized females have an altered and reduced augmentation of pituitary oestradiol retention in response to both oestrogen and progesterone pretreatments.

2-Hydroxyoestradiol acutely inhibits prolactin secretion from the superfused pituitary glands of normal female rats: evidence for a cyclical effect

1986 ◽  
Vol 111 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. K. Banks ◽  
S. E. Inkster ◽  
N. White ◽  
S. L. Jeffcoate
Keyword(s):  
Suppressive Effect ◽  
Prolactin Secretion ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Pituitary Glands ◽  
Layer Chromatography

ABSTRACT Catecholoestrogens are naturally occurring metabolites of oestrogens which are found in brain tissue and for which a neuroendocrine role has been postulated. However, reports of their effects on prolactin secretion are ambiguous and as yet no defined function has been attributed to them. The effects of 2-hydroxyoestradiol (2-OHE2) and dopamine on the release of prolactin in vitro by perfused pituitary glands from normal adult female rats at different stages of the oestrous cycle have been investigated. The purity and stability of the 2-OHE2 preparation before and after exposure to pituitary tissue was confirmed by radioenzymatic assay and subsequent thin-layer chromatography. Dopamine (500 nmol/l, 100 nmol/l) was found consistently to suppress release by 60%; this effect was immediate and reversible upon removal of the dopamine. In contrast, the effects of 2-OHE2 (10 nmol/l, 100 nmol/l) were found to vary during the cycle. No effect on prolactin release was evident during either dioestrus or pro-oestrus, but during oestrus a similar, though less potent, suppression of prolactin secretion to that of dopamine was observed (35% suppression compared with controls). The cyclical variation in the suppressive effect of 2-OHE2 on prolactin secretion in the female rat is compatible with a postulated neuroendocrine role for this catecholoestrogen. J. Endocr. (1986) 111, 199–204

GONADOTROPHIN PATTERNS IN MALE AND FEMALE RATS:

1968 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Boyd ◽  
Donald C. Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Prostate Weight ◽  
Male And Female Rats ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Normal Males

ABSTRACT The effects of various doses of testosterone propionate (TP) upon the release of luteinizing hormone (LH or ICSH) from the hypophysis of a gonadectomized male or female rat were compared. Prostate weight in hypophysectomized male parabiotic partners was used to evaluate the quantity of circulating LH. Hypophyseal LH was measured by the ovarian ascorbic acid depletion method. Males castrated when 45 days old secreted significantly more LH and had three times the amount of pituitary LH as ovariectomized females. Administration of 25 μg TP daily reduced the amount of LH in the plasma, and increased the amount in the pituitary gland, in both sexes. Treatment with 50 μg caused a further reduction in plasma LH in males, but not in females, while pituitary levels in both were equal to that of their respective controls. LH fell to the same low level in partners of males or females receiving 100 μg TP. When gonadectomized at 39 days, males and females had the same amount of plasma LH, but males had more stored hormone. Pituitary levels were unchanged from controls following treatment with 12.5, 25 or 50 μg TP daily, but plasma values dropped an equal amount in both sexes with the latter two doses. Androgenized males or females, gonadectomized when 39 days old, were very sensitive to the effects of TP and plasma LH was significantly reduced with 12.5 μg daily. Pituitary LH in androgenized males was higher than that of normal males but was reduced to normal by small amounts of TP. The amount of stored LH in androgenized females was not different from that of normal females and it was unchanged by any dose of TP tested. Results are consistent with the conclusion that the male hypothalamic-hypophyseal axis is at least as sensitive as the female axis to the negative feedback effects of TP. Androgenization increases the sensitivity to TP in both males and females.

OESTROGEN RESPONSES OF RATS NEONATALLY STERILIZED WITH STEROIDS

1969 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-420 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. R. WRENN ◽  
JOAN R. WOOD ◽  
J. BITMAN
Keyword(s):  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Ovariectomized Rats ◽  
Uterine Weight ◽  
Oestradiol Benzoate

SUMMARY At 75 days of age, female rats neonatally sterilized with oestradiol benzoate or testosterone propionate were compared with normal and ovariectomized rats with regard to their 6-hr. response to 0·2 μg. oestradiol 17β. The greatest increases in uterine weight, glucose and glycogen concentrations and per cent uterine water occurred in the ovariectomized animals. A marked oestrogen response also occurred in the animals neonatally sterilized with oestradiol benzoate. The response of the normal rats was slight, and the testosterone propionate-treated rats were the least affected. Adrenal, pituitary, and ovarian weights were found to be affected by the neonatal hormone treatments. Vaginal patency was completely inhibited in the rats injected with testosterone propionate. It is concluded that rats neonatally sterilized with steroids are much less suitable than ovariectomized animals for oestrogen assays.

EFFECTS OF AGE AND OVARIAN FUNCTION ON THE PITUITARY–THYROID SYSTEM IN FEMALE RATS

1978 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 225-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. CHEN ◽  
P. G. WALFISH
Keyword(s):  
Ovarian Function ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Ovariectomized Rats ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Thyrotrophin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Young Rats ◽  
Trh Stimulation ◽  
Old Rats ◽  
Absolute Concentrations

SUMMARY The effects of ovariectomy and ovariectomy and treatment with oestradiol benzoate (OB) on the basal concentration of thyrotrophin (TSH), the total concentrations and concentrations of free tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), and the concentrations of TSH, T3 and T4 observed after treatment with thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) were studied in old (16–17 months of age) constant oestrous and young (3–4 months of age) oestrous rats. The untreated old control rats had significantly (P< 0·001) lower basal total T4 concentrations and percentage and absolute concentrations of free T4 and lower percentage and absolute concentrations of free T3 than untreated young rats. The basal levels of TSH in these two groups were similar and the increases in TSH after injection of TRH were identical. Two weeks after ovariectomy, no significant additional differences in hormone concentrations between old and young rats were observed. However, release of TSH induced by TRH was increased by three- to fourfold in old rats after ovariectomy compared with nine- to tenfold in young ovariectomized rats (P<0·01). Basal T4 concentrations remained unchanged in old ovariectomized rats treated for 7 days with 2 μg OB/day compared with both intact and ovariectomized rats. However, T4 concentrations in OB-treated young rats were significantly (P<0·001) reduced. Treatment with OB significantly increased both basal and TRH-induced T3 and TSH levels in old and young rats although the young rats showed a greater response (P<0·001). Two hours after injection of TRH, serum T3 concentrations in old rats increased only after OB treatment and not after ovariectomy alone or in intact rats, whereas T3 concentrations rose in all three groups of young animals. These results indicate that (1) older female rats have lower total T4, free T4 and free T3 concentrations and a lower TSH response to TRH, (2) OB treatment in young rats suppresses serum T4 but increases serum T3 and results in a greater TSH response to TRH and (3) at least one of the mechanisms accounting for the alterations in thyroid function observed in the older female rat, in addition to possible concomitant primary thyroid gland hypofunction, is a hyporesponsiveness of pituitary thyrotrophs to both endogenous negative feedback signals from low serum thyroid hormone concentrations and exogenous TRH stimulation.

scholarly journals Comparative effects of testosterone propionate, oestradiol benzoate, ICI 182,780, tamoxifen and raloxifene on hypothalamic differentiation in the female rat

2002 ◽  
Vol 172 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Pinilla ◽  
ML Barreiro ◽  
LC Gonzalez ◽  
M Tena-Sempere ◽  
E Aguilar
Keyword(s):  
Positive Feedback ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Reproductive Function ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Normal Brain ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Vaginal Opening ◽  
Ici 182,780 ◽  
Oestradiol Benzoate ◽  
Normal Differentiation

Hypothalamic differentiation in the female rat during the neonatal period is critically dependent on the steroid milieu, as permanent changes in reproductive function are observed after administration of oestradiol and testosterone during such a critical stage. Selective oestrogen modulators (SERMs) constitute a family of drugs that, depending on the tissue, are able to exert oestrogenic or antioestrogenic actions. The present experiments were conducted to analyse whether the SERMs, tamoxifen and raloxifene, can cause oestrogenic actions during the hypothalamic differentiation period. Postnatal female rats were injected between days 1 and 5 with 100 microg/day tamoxifen, raloxifene or ICI 182,780 (a pure antioestrogen). Other groups of animals were injected on day 1 of age with 100 microg oestradiol benzoate (OeB) or 1.25 mg testosterone propionate (TP) alone or in combination with raloxifene (500 microg/day between days 1 and 5). In all experimental groups, the age, body weight and concentrations of serum gonadotrophins at vaginal opening were recorded, whereas vaginal cyclicity and the negative and positive feedback between oestradiol and LH were monitored in adulthood. The results obtained confirmed the ability of high doses of OeB or TP to alter the normal differentiation of the brain permanently. They also reinforced the hypothesis that oestrogens are also necessary for normal brain differentiation in female rats because administration of a pure antioestrogen, such as ICI 182,780 permanently altered the function of the reproductive axis. In addition, our data provided evidence for different actions of the two SERMs under analysis (raloxifene and tamoxifen) upon peripheral targets, as raloxifene advanced vaginal opening whereas tamoxifen did not. In contrast, their actions on brain differentiation appeared similar and analogous to those obtained after neonatal administration of oestradiol, as evidenced by vaginal acyclicity, ovarian atrophy, sterility and abolition of negative and positive feedback between oestradiol and LH, thus suggesting an oestrogenic action of these SERMs on hypothalamic differentiation. Moreover, the oestrogenic activity of raloxifene was supported by its inability to block the effects of OeB and TP administered neonatally. In conclusion, the present results indicated that the SERMs, tamoxifen and raloxifene, exert an oestrogen-like effect upon hypothalamic differentiation of the neonatal female rat.

scholarly journals Direct Stimulatory Effects of Oxytocin in Female Rat Gonadotrophs and Somatotrophs In Vitro: Comparison With Lactotrophs

Endocrinology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 156 (2) ◽  
pp. 600-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arturo E. Gonzalez-Iglesias ◽  
Patrick A. Fletcher ◽  
José A. Arias-Cristancho ◽  
Ruth Cristancho-Gordo ◽  
Cleyde V. Helena ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Receptor Antagonist ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Pituitary Hormones ◽  
Prolactin Secretion ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Pituitary Cells ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Rat Pituitary Cells

The peptide oxytocin (OT) is secreted by hypothalamic neurons and exerts numerous actions related to reproduction. OT stimulation of prolactin secretion in female rats is important during the estrous cycle, pregnancy, and lactation. Here we report that OT also stimulates transients of intracellular Ca2+ concentration in somatotrophs and gonadotrophs as well as the release of GH and LH in a dose-dependent manner with EC50 values that closely correspond to the ligand affinity of the OT receptor (OTR). Remarkably, the hormone-releasing effect of OT in these two cell types is 2 orders of magnitude more sensitive than that in lactotrophs. The specific OTR agonist [Thr4,Gly7]-oxytocin acutely stimulated the release of LH, GH, and prolactin from female rat pituitary cells in primary culture and increased intracellular Ca2+ concentration in gonadotrophs, somatotrophs, and lactotrophs. In these three cell types, the effects on hormone release and intracellular Ca2+ of both OT and [Thr4,Gly7]oxytocin were abolished by the specific OT receptor antagonist desGly-NH2-d(CH2)5[D-Tyr2,Thr4]OVT but not by the highly selective vasopressin V1a receptor antagonist, d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2,Dab5]AVP. Furthermore, 10 nM arginine vasopressin stimulated LH and GH release comparably with a dose of OT that was at least 10 times lower. Finally, the presence of the OTR-like immunoreactivity could be observed in all three cell types. Taken together, these results show that OT directly stimulates gonadotrophs, somatotrophs, and lactotrophs through OT receptors and suggest that OT signaling may serve to coordinate the release of different pituitary hormones during specific physiological conditions.

SENSITIVITY OF ANTERIOR HYPOTHALAMIC AREAS TO GONADAL STEROID IMPLANTATION IN ANDROGENIZED FEMALE RATS

1977 ◽  
Vol 74 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-NP ◽  
Author(s):  
A. DANGUY ◽  
J. L. PASTEELS ◽  
F. ECTORS
Keyword(s):  
Single Injection ◽  
Mammary Glands ◽  
Prolactin Secretion ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Male Rats ◽  
Control Synthesis ◽  
Normal Female ◽  
Immunofluorescence Studies ◽  
Oestradiol Benzoate ◽  
Stimulation Of

A single injection of 1 mg of a complex of testosterone esters on day 5 of life was used to prepare constantly oestrous rats. Such androgenized female rats were then ovariectomized and submitted to stereotaxical implantation of 1 μg oestradiol benzoate, 5 μg testosterone isobutyrate or, as a control, 10 μg cholesterol in the anterior hypothalamic areas. The effects of the steroids on plasma and pituitary FSH and LH were assessed by radioimmunoassay. As reported previously by us in normal female and male rats, the preoptic–suprachiasmatic area (POA) was able to control synthesis and secretion of both gonadotrophins and did not lose its sensitivity to oestradiol and testosterone in androgenized rats. Evidence for enhanced prolactin secretion in androgenized rats was derived from immunofluorescence studies of the pituitary gland and from histology of the mammary glands. In this respect the condition of the androgenized females was opposite to that of the males. The present work demonstrated that stimulation of prolactin secretion in androgenized female rats resulted from oestrogen action due to permanent oestrus rather than from impairment of hypothalamo-hypophysial relationships. Indeed, prolactin stimulation was suppressed when the androgenized rats were ovariectomized and restored when they were subsequently implanted with oestradiol in the POA.

Development and amplification of mid-afternoon surges of prolactin secretion in ovariectomized immature rats

1986 ◽  
Vol 110 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. F. Urbanski ◽  
S. R. Ojeda
Keyword(s):  
Prolactin Secretion ◽  
Ovariectomized Rats ◽  
Female Rat ◽  
Plasma Prolactin ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Small Magnitude ◽  
Neuroendocrine Mechanisms ◽  
Phases Of Development ◽  
Juvenile Development

ABSTRACT The immature female rat shows a mid-afternoon surge of prolactin secretion which reaches a maximum on the day of first pro-oestrus. The present experiments were undertaken to elucidate the mechanisms which underly the development of this prolactin discharge. Detailed plasma prolactin profiles were obtained from short-term (48 h) ovariectomized rats at 23, 28 or 37 days of age. In the two older groups, but not the youngest, a mid-afternoon surge of prolactin secretion occurred in spite of the absence of the ovaries. To exclude the possibility that such an apparent ovarian-independent discharge of prolactin was due to an oestradiol effect which persisted for 2 days following ovariectomy, another study was conducted using long-term ovariectomized animals. Plasma profiles were obtained from neonatally ovariectomized rats at ages equivalent to juvenile (26–28 days), peripubertal (38–41 days) or adult (46–49 days) phases of development. A mid-afternoon surge of prolactin secretion was observed in the majority of animals (eight out of twelve) irrespective of the interval after ovariectomy; this finding further indicates that in the female rat there is a centrally originated mid-afternoon episode of prolactin secretion which is expressed during juvenile development even in the absence of the ovaries. The relatively small magnitude of these ovarian-independent prolactin discharges (c.f. the preovulatory prolactin surge) suggested that in the intact animal they are amplified by ovarian secretions. To test this hypothesis, oestradiol-containing silicone elastomer capsules were implanted s.c. into juvenile rats, immediately after ovariectomy, and plasma prolactin profiles examined 2 days later (28 days of age). In all cases the prolactin surge was greatly amplified and in many instances the magnitude was identical to that observed at first pro-oestrus. These data suggest that development of the large pro-oestrous surge of prolactin secretion involves the interplay of at least two distinct neuroendocrine mechanisms: (1) a centrally originated ovarian-independent signal and (2) an amplification effect exerted by ovarian oestradiol. J. Endocr. (1986) 110, 361–366

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