scholarly journals Secretion of inhibin A, inhibin B and inhibin pro-alphaC during the oestrous cycle of the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus)

1999 ◽  
Vol 162 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-456 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Ohshima ◽  
H Kishi ◽  
M Itoh ◽  
G Watanabe ◽  
K Arai ◽  
...  

Plasma concentrations of inhibin pro-alphaC, inhibin A and inhibin B were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at 6 h intervals throughout the 4-day oestrous cycle of the golden hamster. Plasma concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and oestradiol-17beta were also measured by radioimmunoassay during the oestrous cycle. Plasma concentrations of inhibin A increased from the early morning of day 1 (day 1=day of ovulation) and reached plateau levels at 0500 h on day 2. An abrupt increase in plasma concentrations of inhibin A was found at 1700 h on day 4, when the preovulatory FSH surge was observed. An increase in plasma concentrations of inhibin B occurred on day 1 and reached plateau levels at 1700 h on day 1. The levels remained elevated until 0500 h on day 4 and declined gradually by 2300 h on day 4. Plasma concentrations of inhibin pro-alphaC gradually increased with some fluctuation from day 1 to 1700 h on day 4 and then declined. Significant negative relationships were noted between plasma FSH and both dimeric forms of inhibin from day 1 to day 3. Significant positive relationships were found between plasma oestradiol-17beta and inhibin A or inhibin pro-alphaC throughout the oestrous cycle. In contrast, no significant relationship was found between plasma oestradiol-17beta and inhibin B. These findings suggest that both dimeric forms of inhibin play a role in the regulation of FSH secretion during follicular development. These findings also suggest that inhibin pro-alphaC could be secreted primarily by large follicles, and early atretic follicles could also be responsible for inhibin pro-alphaC secretion. On the other hand, the secretory pattern of dimeric inhibins might shift from inhibin B to inhibin A with follicular development.

2002 ◽  
Vol 172 (3) ◽  
pp. 575-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Ohshima ◽  
H Kishi ◽  
M Itoh ◽  
KY Arai ◽  
G Watanabe ◽  
...  

The changes in plasma concentrations of inhibins A, B and pro-alpha C were determined in the cyclic golden hamster during follicular atresia induced with antiserum against luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH-AS) at 1100 h on day 4 (day 1=day of ovulation). Follicular status in the ovary was also studied by determining the number of follicles ovulating in response to human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) injection. The time-courses of changes in plasma concentrations of inhibins A, B and pro-alpha C were different from each other during induced follicular atresia and subsequent follicular development. Plasma concentrations of inhibin A decreased to 58.6% of initial values by 24 h after LHRH-AS treatment, and then remained relatively low until at least 60 h later. Plasma concentrations of inhibin B decreased to 64.2% of the initial values by 18 h after LHRH-AS treatment and remained at basal values for 36 h, but increased abruptly to greater than initial values at 42 h after the treatment. Plasma concentrations of inhibin pro-alpha C increased at 6 and 12 h, decreased suddenly to 21.9% of the initial values by 24 h after LHRH-AS treatment, and then gradually increased until 60 h after LHRH-AS. The number of follicles responding to hCG decreased gradually between 0 and 30 h after LHRH-AS, when no ovulations were observed, and then gradually increased until 60 h. The changes in follicular ovulatory responses to hCG correlated with the plasma profile of inhibin A throughout the experiment. These results suggest that inhibin A is mainly secreted by large antral follicles. In contrast, during the subsequent follicular development, the plasma concentration of inhibin B increased earlier than that of inhibin A. These results suggest that inhibin B is secreted by small and large antral follicles. Plasma concentrations of inhibin pro-alpha C were high at a time when plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17 beta had already decreased, indicating that inhibin pro-alpha C is secreted not only from healthy follicles but also from early atretic antral follicles.


2001 ◽  
Vol 168 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Kondo ◽  
M Kondo ◽  
T Udono ◽  
WZ Jin ◽  
WZ Jin ◽  
...  

Plasma concentrations of inhibin A and inhibin B during pregnancy and early lactation in chimpanzees were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Plasma samples were taken from five pregnant chimpanzees at 6-9, 10, 20 and 25 weeks of pregnancy, and following parturition. Throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period, circulating inhibin A and inhibin B concentrations remained low, at similar levels to those during the normal menstrual cycle in chimpanzees. Concentrations of inhibin A in the placental homogenate were high enough to be measured by the ELISA and by bioassay, whereas circulating inhibin bioactivities in late pregnancy were too low to be measured. Plasma concentrations of FSH remained low with no significant changes throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. Plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17beta and progesterone at 25 weeks of pregnancy were much higher than normal menstrual cycle levels. It was concluded that in chimpanzees the levels of circulating inhibin A and inhibin B remained low throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period, and that the concentrations of bioactive dimeric inhibin did not increase towards the end of pregnancy. The suppression of circulating FSH levels during pregnancy is suggested to be controlled by steroid hormones that increased significantly in late pregnancy, and the present findings further suggest that the secretory pattern and role of inhibin during pregnancy in chimpanzees may be different from that in human and other primates.


1995 ◽  
Vol 147 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
P A Fahy ◽  
C A Wilson ◽  
A J Beard ◽  
N P Groome ◽  
P G Knight

Abstract Recent modifications to a previously reported two-site IRMA have permitted the measurement of serum/plasma concentrations and ovarian contents of inhibin-A (α-βA dimer) in pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG)treated immature female rats and adult rats throughout the 4-day oestrous cycle. For comparison, total α inhibin levels were also measured by α subunit-directed inhibin RIA and found to be at least tenfold higher (relative to the same 32 kDa bovine inhibin standard used to calibrate both assays). In immature female rats, serum levels of inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin increased within 3 h of PMSG injection and rose in parallel over the next 48 h to values four- to fivefold higher than pretreatment levels. Ovariectomy led to a rapid and parallel fall in both inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin; initial half-lives (±95% confidence intervals) were 22 ± 4 and 20 ± 5 min respectively. In adult rats, marked fluctuations in plasma concentrations and ovarian contents of inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin occurred during the 4-day oestrous cycle, most notably between the morning of pro-oestrus and the morning of oestrus. Plasma levels of inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin peaked on the afternoon of pro-oestrus just before the preovulatory gonadotrophin surge. After ovulation, both inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin fell abruptly (two- to threefold by 0200 h on oestrus; P<0·001), while FSH showed a secondary rise which peaked at 0700 h on oestrus. Although IRMA- and RIA-derived inhibin values generally followed a similar pattern across the 4-day cycle (plasma: r=0·52, P<0·001; ovary: r=0·41, P<0·001), a transient rise in plasma and ovarian inhibin-A dimer was detected at 0700 h on oestrus (P<0·01) which was unaccompanied by a rise in total α inhibin. This rise in plasma inhibin-A dimer was probably responsible for terminating the post-ovulatory FSH surge since FSH levels declined steadily over the next 15 h. Overall, plasma inhibin-A dimer and FSH concentrations across the whole cycle were negatively correlated (r= −0·22, P<0·01) whereas no correlation existed between total α inhibin and FSH (r= −0·11, P=0·12). Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 147, 271–283


1972 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard D. Peppler

ABSTRACT Intact 5-day cycling rats were killed between 8–10 a. m. on each day of the oestrous cycle; experimental rats were unilaterally ovariectomized (ULO) at 9 a. m. on day 1 (oestrus) and killed between 8 and 10 a. m. on days 2, 3, 4 or 1 of the subsequent cycle. Pituitary and plasma concentrations of FSH and LH were measured in both groups of rats. Pituitary FSH concentration was measured by the Steelman-Pohley method with slight modification; plasma FSH by the Igarashi-McCann assay and pituitary and plasma LH concentration by the OAAD method. In intact rats, pituitary FSH values remained constant for the first three days of the cycle, increased on day 4 and reverted to early cycle values by day 5. Plasma FSH increased between days 2 and 3 and days 5 and 1. Pituitary LH concentration remained the same for days 1 and 2; increased two-fold on days 3 and 4, and increased further by day 5. Plasma LH increased between days 2 and 3; other differences between successive cycle days were not apparent. Following ULO on day 1, pituitary FSH increased steadily, but not significantly, for the remaining cycle. Plasma FSH did not change from day 2 through day 1 of the subsequent cycle. Pituitary LH remained low on day 2, increased sharply by day 3 and decreased (50 %) by day 4. Plasma LH also increased between days 2 and 3. Other differences between successive days following unilateral ovariectomy on day 1 were not apparent. Correlation of gonadotrophin activity with follicular development suggests that the mechanism of compensatory ovulation in the rat may be one of an increase in time of exposure to a constant gonadotrophic level for the duration of the oestrous cycle rather than to increased levels of the gonadotrophin.


1995 ◽  
Vol 146 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Kishi ◽  
K Taya ◽  
G Watanabe ◽  
S Sasamoto

Abstract Plasma and ovarian levels of inhibin were determined by a radioimmunoassay (RIA) at 3-h intervals throughout the 4-day oestrous cycle of hamsters. Plasma concentrations of FSH, LH, progesterone, testosterone and oestradiol-17β were also determined by RIAs. In addition, hamsters were injected at various times with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) to determine the follicular development. The changes in plasma concentrations of FSH after injection of antisera to oestradiol-17β (oestradiol-AS) and inhibin (inhibin-AS) on the morning of day 2 (day 1=day of ovulation) were also determined. Plasma concentrations of inhibin showed a marked increase on the afternoon of day 1, remained at plateau levels until the morning of day 4, then increased abruptly on the afternoon of day 4 when preovulatory LH and FSH surges were initiated. A marked decrease in plasma concentrations of inhibin occurred during the process of ovulation after the preovulatory gonadotrophin surges. An inverse relationship between plasma levels of FSH and inhibin was observed when the secondary surge of FSH was in progress during the periovulatory period. Plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17β showed three increase phases and these changes differed from those of inhibin. Changes in plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17β correlated well with the maturation and regression of large antral follicles. Follicles capable of ovulating following hCG administration were first noted at 2300 h on day 1. The number of follicles capable of ovulating reached a maximum on the morning of day 3 (24·8± 0·6), and decreased by 0500 h on day 4 (15·0 ± 1·1), corresponding to the number of normal spontaneous ovulations. Plasma concentrations of FSH were dramatically increased within 6 h after inhibin-AS, though no increase in FSH levels was observed after oestradiol-AS. These findings suggest that changes in the plasma levels of inhibin during the oestrous cycle provide a precise indicator of follicular recruitment, and that the changes in plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17β are associated with follicular maturation. These findings also suggest that inhibin may play a major role in the inhibition of FSH secretion during the oestrous cycle of the hamster. Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 146, 169–176


1977 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 441-453 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. R. HENDERSON ◽  
CHRISTINE BAKER ◽  
G. FINK

SUMMARY Plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17β were measured by a non-chromatographic radioimmunoassay during the oestrous cycle, after the s.c. injection of 2·5 or 10 pg oestradiol benzoate (OB), or the s.c. implantation of Silastic capsules containing crystalline oestradiol-17β. The profile of endogenous plasma oestradiol-17β concentrations was similar to that reported by other workers, and lay between the concentrations produced by the low and high doses of OB. The rectangular pulses of increased plasma oestradiol concentrations, produced during the period of implantation of the Silastic capsules, were used to determine the time taken for oestradiol-17β to exert its facilitatory effect on the gonadotrophin response to LH-releasing factor (RF). In animals ovariectomized at dioestrus, oestradiol, at concentrations similar to those reached during the peak of the spontaneous surge, first reduced the LH response. However, after 7 h, responsiveness increased significantly to reach a peak at 12 h. The FSH response was also greatest 12 h after ovariectomy. In animals ovariectomized at metoestrus the effect of oestradiol on the LH response was significantly less than in rats ovariectomized at dioestrus, and the FSH responses were lower than those in animals bearing empty capsules and examined at the same time after ovariectomy. These findings together with the effects of long-term exposure to sodium pentobarbitone are considered with respect to the possible mechanisms, including the priming effect of LH-RF, which may produce increased pituitary responsiveness after ovariectomy and exposure to oestrogen.


Reproduction ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiko Noguchi ◽  
Koji Yoshioka ◽  
Seigo Itoh ◽  
Chie Suzuki ◽  
Sachiko Arai ◽  
...  

We investigated changes in peripheral concentrations of inhibin A, total inhibin, steroids, and gonadotropins throughout the intact estrous cycle of the sow in relation to ovarian changes determined by daily transrectal ultrasonography. All visible follicles of 3 mm or more in diameter were classified as small (≥3 and <6 mm) or large (≥6 mm). Follicular recruitment was identified in two periods of the cycle: one from the late luteal to the follicular phase, characterized by an increase in the number of small follicles followed by the appearance of large follicles; and another during the early luteal phase, consisting only of increased numbers of small follicles. Plasma concentrations of inhibin A increased (P<0.05), coinciding with the two periods of follicle emergence. Estradiol (E2) levels increased (P<0.05) during the follicular phase, but not during the early luteal phase. An inverse relationship (P<0.01) between the patterns of inhibin and FSH concentrations was noted around the two periods of follicle emergence, but there was no relationship (P≥0.1) between the patterns of plasma E2and FSH during the early luteal phase. In conclusion, measurement of plasma inhibin A levels combined with ultrasonographic examination of the ovaries revealed two periods of synchronous follicular growth during the sow's estrous cycle. The results strongly suggest that inhibin A functions as a negative feedback regulator of FSH secretion throughout the estrous cycle, whereas E2appears to influence FSH secretion only during the follicular phase.


1987 ◽  
Vol 112 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. G. Glencross

ABSTRACT To stimulate a follicular-phase pattern of pulsatile LH release, gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH; 5 μg) was infused (i.v.) hourly into heifers for periods of 5–11 days during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle, and also when plasma progesterone levels were increased artificially by means of a progesterone-releasing intravaginal device. Plasma oestradiol-17β concentrations increased from basal (EEE 2·5 pmol/l) to preovulatory peak levels (20–30 pmol/l) during the first 3 days of GnRH treatment. They were maintained at these values before returning to basal levels within 24 h of cessation of infusion. This response occurred regardless of the source of progesterone (endogenous or administered). Follicular development was observed by ovarian palpation (per rectum) in some heifers at the time of maximum secretion of oestradiol-17β. There was no detectable cervical mucus secretion or oestrous behaviour during these periods of high oestradiol-17β levels and ovulation did not occur. Treatment with GnRH did not affect plasma progesterone concentrations or oestrous cycle length. The study shows that oestradiol-17β secretion and follicular development (and the accompanying oestrus and ovulation) are suppressed during the luteal phase of the cycle by high concentrations of plasma progesterone, and provides strong indirect evidence that such inhibition is associated with a reduction in the pulse frequency of LH release. J. Endocr. (1987) 112, 77–85


1983 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 485-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Whitaker ◽  
M. A. Shaw ◽  
G. R. Hervey

The plasma oestradiol-17β concentrations of obese and non-obese female Zucker rats have been measured in three phases of the oestrous cycle. The oestradiol concentrations of both phenotypes were similar, and changed normally with the oestrous cycle. The weights of the uteri also changed normally with the cycle. Plasma androgen concentrations in male Zucker rats have also been measured: the mean concentration was slightly but significantly lower in obese rats, and androgen-sensitive tissues were slightly reduced in weight. The oestradiol-17β concentrations in males of both phenotypes were similar. It seems unlikely that deficient plasma concentrations of gonadal hormones cause the infertility of obese rats of either sex.


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