An investigation of diurnal and cyclic changes in the secretion of luteinizing hormone in the domestic hen

1983 ◽  
Vol 98 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Wilson ◽  
R. C. Jennings ◽  
F. J. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Diurnal Rhythm ◽  
Laying Hen ◽  
Ovulatory Cycle ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
Threefold Increase ◽  
Steep Decline ◽  
Cyclic Changes ◽  
Lh Secretion ◽  
Domestic Hen

The characteristics of the diurnal rhythm in the concentration of LH in plasma of the domestic hen varied according to age and duration of photoperiod. A pronounced increase in LH was observed at the onset of darkness in immature hens whether maintained on schedules of 16 h light:8 h darkness (16L:8D) or 8L:16D. During weeks 4·5–15 or −17·5 raised concentrations of LH were maintained until 6 and 12 h after the onset of darkness in hens held on 16L:8D and 8L:16D respectively. By 19 weeks of age the diurnal rhythm of LH secretion had changed to resemble more closely that observed in the laying hen. An increase in the concentration of LH in plasma at the onset of darkness was of comparatively short duration and gave way, within 2–3 h, to a steep decline before a further slight increase in LH, which tended to occur at 11–14 h after the onset of darkness. Superimposed on this diurnal rhythm of LH secretion in the laying hen were a one- to threefold increase in the concentration of LH during 8–4 h before ovulation and a much less pronounced increase in LH during 0–8 h after ovulation. The pattern of changes in the concentration of LH in plasma during the ovulatory cycle was not modified by the repeated withdrawal of blood at intervals of 2 h.

Evidence of a photoinducible phase for the release of luteinizing hormone in the domestic hen

1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan C. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Abrupt Increase ◽  
Threefold Increase ◽  
Main Period ◽  
Lh Release ◽  
Lh Releasing Hormone ◽  
Lh Secretion ◽  
Domestic Hen

Hens raised on a schedule of 8 h light: 16 h darkness (8L : 16D) were exposed to changes in photoperiod at 17 or 18 weeks of age. These involved exposure to either an abrupt increase in photoperiod to 16 h per day or to skeleton photoperiods comprising a main period of 7·75 or 4 h light together with a pulse of 15 min or 4 h light provided at different times during the period of darkness. An increase in photoperiod to 16 h per day stimulated a two- to threefold increase in the plasma concentration of LH within 1–3 days. Interruption of a 7·75L : 16D schedule by 15 min light between 13·75 and 19·75 h after the beginning of the main photoperiod stimulated LH secretion in the immature and adult hen and a higher rate of lay than that of the 8L : 16D control group. There was a significant (P < 0·01) correlation between the concentration of LH in the plasma and the rate of lay. The photostimulated rise in the plasma concentration of LH in the immature hen was not associated with any increase in the responsiveness of the pituitary gland to LH releasing hormone. Of the treatments in which a 15-min pulse of light was provided, the schedules of 7·75L : 10D : 0·25L : 6D and 7·75L : 12D : 0·25L : 4D, which were most effective in stimulating LH release, appeared to be interpreted as 0·25L : 6D : 7·75L : 10D and 0·25L : 4D : 7·75L : 12D respectively. In hens given a 7·75-h main photoperiod, in which phase-reversal did not occur, 15 min light was most stimulatory when given 14–16 h after the begining of the main photoperiod, although not to the same extent as an increase in photoperiod to 16 h per day. In hens for which an 8-h complete photoperiod was changed to a 4-h main photoperiod, together with a further 4-h pulse of light provided at different times during the period of darkness, the period of maximum sensitivity to light occurred 11 h after the onset of the main photoperiod and at this time light stimulated LH release to the same extent as an increase in complete photoperiod from 8 to 16 h per day. Results of this study suggest that the period of maximum photosensitivity shifts its phase after a change in the form of photoperiod and is primarily entrained to dusk.

Concentrations of luteinizing hormone and progesterone in plasma during sexual development of the Khaki Campbell duck

1982 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan C. Wilson ◽  
T. R. Morris
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Negative Correlation ◽  
Sexual Development ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Winter Solstice ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
Threefold Increase ◽  
Lh Release

Concentrations of LH and progesterone were measured in the plasma of ducks which were, from 3 weeks of age, raised on either a constant photoperiod of 16 h light: 8 h darkness or a lighting schedule which simulated natural changes in daylength. In ducks raised on a constant photoperiod of 16 h light: 8 h darkness the plasma concentration of LH increased steeply between 7 and 3·5 weeks before the onset of lay. Concentrations of LH then declined, gradually at first, but then rapidly during the 7 days before the first oviposition in association with a pronounced increase in the plasma concentration of progesterone. During the 18 days before the first egg was laid there was a significant (P < 0·01) negative correlation between the plasma concentrations of LH and progesterone. The patterns of LH release during sexual development of ducks raised on a schedule which simulated natural changes in daylength were variable but could be categorized according to the daylength at which each duck came into lay. In ducks coming into lay soon after the winter solstice when daylength was short (8·0–8·5 h light/day) there was a pronounced 15-fold prepubertal increase in the plasma concentration of LH although in some ducks high LH levels were not maintained until 3–4 weeks before the first oviposition and were not always followed by a rise in the plasma concentration of progesterone. In contrast, in ducks coming into lay when daylength had increased to 11·0–11·5 h light/day there were only minor fluctuations in the plasma concentration of LH until a small two- to threefold increase in LH was observed during the 2 weeks before the first oviposition.

THE EFFECTS OF GONADAL HORMONES ON THE LEVELS OF PITUITARY LUTEINIZING HORMONE IN THE DOMESTIC FOWL

1968 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. HEALD ◽  
K. A. ROOKLEDGE ◽  
B. E. FURNIVAL ◽  
G. D. WATTS
Keyword(s):  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Domestic Fowl ◽  
Testosterone Propionate ◽  
Gonadal Hormones ◽  
Laying Hen ◽  
Ovulatory Cycle ◽  
Specific Point ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Oestradiol Benzoate ◽  
Random Intervals

SUMMARY Groups of laying mature domestic fowl were injected i.m. with varying doses of either oestradiol benzoate, testosterone propionate or progesterone and were killed at random intervals throughout the day without reference to any specific point in the ovulatory cycle. Luteinizing hormone (LH) was assayed in the anterior pituitaries of each group. It was shown that oestradiol in doses calculated to be equal to or above the physiological level, increased pituitary LH without necessarily affecting the laying cycle. Testosterone had no significant effect on pituitary LH, while progesterone significantly increased pituitary LH at doses which had no apparent effect upon ovulation. Doses effective in the laying hen had little or no effect on the pituitary content of LH in immature birds. The results in the laying hen are in harmony with the concept previously proposed, by which changes in the levels of circulating plasma oestrogens may regulate the ovulatory pattern of the fowl by inhibiting release of pituitary LH.

Evidence for the involvement of central catecholaminergic mechanisms in mediating the preovulatory surge of luteinizing hormone in the domestic hen

1982 ◽  
Vol 94 (2) ◽  
pp. 295-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. G. Knight ◽  
S. C. Wilson ◽  
R. T. Gladwell ◽  
F. J. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Pharmacological Treatments ◽  
Ovulatory Cycle ◽  
Lh Surge ◽  
Dopaminergic Mechanisms ◽  
Lh Release ◽  
Noradrenaline And Adrenaline ◽  
Domestic Hen ◽  
Catecholaminergic Mechanisms

The effects of various pharmacological treatments, designed to perturb central catecholaminergic neurotransmission, on the pattern of LH release during the preovulatory period in the domestic hen were studied. Treatment of hens with either l-dihydroxyphenylalanine or diethyldithiocarbamate which raised the concentration of dopamine in the hypothalamus by 42 and 110% respectively, or with apomorphine, attenuated the preovulatory surge of LH. In contrast, treatment with either α-methyl-p-tyrosine which produced a 65% decline in the concentration of dopamine in the hypothalamus without affecting the concentrations of noradrenaline or adrenaline or treatment with pimozide did not affect the LH surge. While treatment with propranolol was similarly ineffective, phenoxybenzamine attenuated the LH surge to a marked extent. These observations suggest that the preovulatory surge of LH in the hen is influenced by facilitatory α-adrenergic and inhibitory dopaminergic mechanisms. Evidence to corroborate these findings was sought by determining the steady-state concentrations of dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline in five discrete diencephalic regions of the hen throughout the ovulatory cycle.

CHANGES IN PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE AFTER INJECTION OF PROGESTERONE AT VARIOUS TIMES DURING THE OVULATORY CYCLE OF THE DOMESTIC HEN (GALLUS DOMESTICUS)

1975 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUSAN C. WILSON ◽  
P. J. SHARP
Keyword(s):  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Gallus Domesticus ◽  
Ovulatory Cycle ◽  
Lh Surge ◽  
Incremental Change ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Domestic Hen

SUMMARY Changes in plasma LH concentrations after i.m. injections of 0·5 mg progesterone/kg at various stages of the ovulatory cycle were measured by radioimmunoassay. Four types of response were observed. (1) When the steroid was injected between 4 h after and 12 h before an ovulation, LH levels started to rise after 15–45 min and reached peak values within 90–120 min. The mean maximal incremental change in the level of LH was 1·58 ± 0·10 (s.e.m.) ng/ml (n = 37). (2) In contrast, when progesterone was injected 12–8 h before ovulation, i.e. immediately before a spontaneous pre-ovulatory LH surge, the resulting mean maximal incremental change in LH level, 0·79 ± 0·12 ng/ml (n = 9), was significantly smaller (P < 0·001). (3) If progesterone was injected 8–4 h before ovulation, i.e. when pre-ovulatory LH levels were rising, they immediately started to rise more rapidly and reached peak values within 45 min. The maximal incremental change in the level of LH under these circumstances, 2·34 ± 0·20 ng/ml (n = 12), was significantly greater (P < 0·001 in both cases) than the changes observed in the responses 1 and 2 described above. (4) Levels of LH generally showed no incremental change in response to injections of progesterone given 4–0 h before ovulation, i.e. when pre-ovulatory LH levels were falling. It was concluded that the type of change in plasma LH levels induced by progesterone depended upon the stage of the ovulatory cycle at which the steroid was injected.

EFFECTS OF ANDROGENS, OESTROGENS AND DEOXYCORTICOSTERONE ACETATE ON PLASMA CONCENTRATIONS OF LUTEINIZING HORMONE IN LAYING HENS

1976 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUSAN C. WILSON ◽  
P. J. SHARP
Keyword(s):  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Ovarian Follicle ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Contrast Injection ◽  
Ovulatory Cycle ◽  
Maximal Increase ◽  
Deoxycorticosterone Acetate ◽  
Dose Levels ◽  
Lh Secretion

SUMMARY Testosterone, androstenedione, oestrone, oestradiol-17β or deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA) were injected intramuscularly at several dose-levels and at various stages of the ovulatory cycle, and subsequent changes in plasma LH concentration were measured by radioimmunoassay. In 19 out of 24 hens, injection of 0·1, 0·5 or 1·0 mg DOCA/kg resulted in a mean maximal increase in plasma LH concentration of between 0·47 and 2·10 ng/ml. The magnitude of this response was not related to either the dose or the stage of the cycle at which the DOCA was injected. In the remaining five hens DOCA failed to stimulate LH secretion. Injection of either androstenedione, oestrone or oestradiol did not result in any increase in LH level in the circulation. In contrast, injection of 0·5, 1·0 or 2·0 mg testosterone/kg between 22 and 26 h after the terminal ovulation of a sequence resulted in mean maximal incremental changes in plasma LH level of 1·98 ± 0·17, 2·17 ± 0·21 and 2·41 ± 0·31 (s.e.m.) ng/ml from pre-injection values of 1·38 ± 0·16, 1·58 ± 0·30 and 1·43 ± 0·39 ng/ml (n = 7, 6 and 5, respectively). The interval between the injection and the resulting rise in LH level was inversely proportional to the dose. The same doses of testosterone injected between 0 and 8 h after ovulation failed to stimulate LH secretion. There was also no significant increase in LH levels after injection of 0·5 and 1·0 mg testosterone/kg between 8 and 9 h after ovulation. However, injection of 2 mg testosterone/kg at this time resulted in a small but significant (P < 0·05) increase in LH levels. Since the largest ovarian follicle is more mature at 22–26 h after ovulation than at 0–9 h after ovulation, the ability of testosterone to cause the release of LH therefore appears to depend upon the degree of maturation of the ovarian follicle next due to ovulate.

Developmental changes in the diurnal rhythm of secretion of corticosterone and LH in the domestic hen

1984 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. C. Wilson ◽  
R. C. Jennings ◽  
F. J. Cunningham
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Phase Angle ◽  
Diurnal Rhythm ◽  
Sexual Development ◽  
Plasma Concentrations ◽  
Transient Increase ◽  
Developmental Changes ◽  
Diurnal Changes ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
Domestic Hen

ABSTRACT When diurnal changes in the plasma concentrations of corticosterone and LH were compared at various times during sexual development a diurnal rhythm in the secretion of corticosterone was most pronounced at 4·5 weeks of age in hens maintained on a schedule of 8 h light: 16 h darkness (8L: 16D) and at 8·5 weeks of age in hens maintained on 16L: 8D. At these ages the phase-angle of the rhythm in relation to the onset of darkness was 3 h earlier than had been observed in previous studies of the adult hen. The characteristics of the corticosterone rhythm changed during sexual development and diurnal changes were no longer evident in hens at 17 weeks of age at a time when prepubertal plasma concentrations of LH were maximal. However, there was a tendency for plasma concentrations of corticosterone to fluctuate diurnally in hens studied at less than 10 days before the onset of lay although not to the same extent as has previously been observed in the adult hen. This period of development was associated with a pronounced increase in the plasma concentration of progesterone. An increase in the plasma concentration of LH at the onset of darkness was observed at all ages in hens maintained on either photoschedule. In hens of 4·5–15 weeks of age maintained on 16L:8D or 8L:16D this increase in the plasma concentration of LH was sustained during the first 5 or 8–11 h of darkness respectively but at 17 weeks of age only a transient increase in LH was seen at the onset of darkness. Plasma concentrations of LH in samples of plasma taken at intervals of between 3 days and 2 weeks throughout sexual development were, until 18–19 weeks, consistently higher in hens maintained on a photoschedule of 16L:8D than on 8L: 16D. J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 299–304

EFFECT OF PHOTOPERIOD ON THE CONCENTRATIONS OF CORTICOSTERONE AND LUTEINIZING HORMONE IN THE PLASMA OF THE DOMESTIC HEN

1981 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 135-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
SUSAN C. WILSON ◽  
F. J. CUNNINGHAM
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Concentration ◽  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Continuous Light ◽  
Significant Rise ◽  
Maximal Concentration ◽  
Pronounced Increase ◽  
Circadian Periodicity ◽  
Free Running ◽  
Domestic Hen

Ovipositions in hens maintained under schedules of 16 h light: 8 h darkness (16L : 8D) or 8L : 16D were restricted to a 12 h period of the day while in hens maintained on continuous light, ovipositions occurred at times throughout the whole of the 24 h day. In hens maintained in continuous light a significant rise in the plasma concentration of corticosterone was observed 11–9 h before ovulation/oviposition. In hens in 16L : 8D there was an increase in the concentration of corticosterone in the plasma during the first 1·5 h of darkness which, under that schedule, coincides with the onset of the 'open period' for the occurrence of the preovulatory release of LH. In hens ovulating the first egg of a sequence the rise in the secretion of corticosterone was only transient and levels fell as preovulatory concentrations of LH rose to a peak. However, in hens undergoing an ovulation late in a sequence or in those not expected to ovulate, the concentration of corticosterone in the plasma continued to rise to attain a maximal concentration 8 h later. In hens maintained in 8L : 16D there was a tendency for the concentration of corticosterone in the plasma to increase at the beginning of the open period, 4 h after the onset of darkness, though this rise was much smaller than that observed at the beginning of the open period of hens on 16L : 8D. A further, more pronounced, increase in the concentration of corticosterone was observed between 11 and 15 h after the onset of darkness. It is suggested that the rise in the concentration of corticosterone at 11–9 h before ovulation in hens in continuous light reflects the beginning of an open period with a free-running circadian periodicity of 26–27 h.

CHANGES IN THE CONCENTRATIONS OF OESTRONE AND OESTRADIOL IN THE PERIPHERAL PLASMA OF THE DOMESTIC HEN DURING THE OVULATORY CYCLE

1974 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 588-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. Senior
Keyword(s):  
Luteinizing Hormone ◽  
Laying Hens ◽  
Peak Level ◽  
Ovulatory Cycle ◽  
Blood Samples ◽  
Expected Time ◽  
Peripheral Plasma ◽  
Significant Change ◽  
Domestic Hen

ABSTRACT The concentrations of oestrone and oestradiol were measured by radioimmunoassay in the peripheral plasma of hens during the ovulatory cycle and of non-laying hens. During the ovulatory cycle when blood samples were taken at 4 or 6 h intervals for 24 h, the peak concentrations of oestrone and oestradiol occurred within the 6 h period immediately preceding ovulation. After the final ovulation of the clutch the oestradiol concentration fell gradually and did not rise again near the time when the last egg of the clutch was laid. There was no significant change in the concentration of oestradiol over a 24 h period in non-laying hens. When blood samples were taken at 2 h intervals during the 12–14 h period before the expected time of ovulation the oestradiol concentration rose 8 h before ovulation and reached a peak level 6–4 h beforehand. It is suggested that oestradiol may be involved in the mechanism stimulating the release of luteinizing hormone required for ovulation.

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