Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Pierroz, Dominique D
• Aebi, Audrey C
• Huhtaniemi, Ilpo T
• Aubert, Michel L

Titel

Many LH peaks are needed to physiologically stimulate testosterone secretion: modulation by fasting and NPY

Ist Teil von

• American journal of physiology: endocrinology and metabolism, 1999-04, Vol.276 (4), p.E603-E610

Ort / Verlag

United States

Erscheinungsjahr

1999

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

Electronic Journals Library - Freely accessible e-journals

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• 1  Division of Biology of Growth and Reproduction, Department of Pediatrics, University of Geneva School of Medicine, 1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland; and 2  Department of Physiology, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Turku, 20520 Turku, Finland The pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone secretions were studied during serial blood collections performed at 7-min time intervals in the male rat. In fed rats, a discontinuous pattern of LH secretion was observed. Periods without secretion alternated with active secretory episodes consisting in trains of three to four LH peaks that triggered testosterone secretion usually 1-2 h later. The magnitude of the testosterone response was not correlated with the amplitude of the LH peaks. Isolated, single peaks of LH did not evoke clear testosterone responses. Forty-eight hours after initiation of fasting, testosterone secretion was markedly decreased, but integrated LH secretion was only partly reduced. Chronic infusion of neuropeptide Y (NPY; 18 µg/day, icv) reduced testosterone secretion to very low levels and abolished pulsatile LH secretion or testosterone response to isolated LH peaks. In conclusion, the stimulation of testosterone secretion by LH necessitates several LH peaks organized in a proper sequence, and the testosterone response is not immediate. Low testosterone secretion in fasting rats appears to result from disappearance of coordinated, multiple LH peaks of sufficient size. Inhibition of the gonadotropic axis achieved by central NPY administration is due to either absence of LH peak "clusters" or occurrence of nonfunctional single LH peaks. luteinizing hormone; pulsatile secretion