Progesterone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone interact and promote goat preantral follicles survival and development in vitro

We investigated the effects of progesterone and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) on survival and growth of caprine preantral follicles. Pieces of ovarian tissue were cultured for 1 or 7 days in minimum essential medium (MEM) alone or containing progesterone (1, 2.5, 5, 10 or 20ng/mL), FSH (50ng/mL) or the interaction between progesterone and FSH. Fresh (non-cultured control) and cultured ovarian tissues were processed for histological and ultrastructural studies. After 7 days the addition of FSH to all progesterone concentrations maintained the percentage of normal follicles similar to fresh control. At day 7 of culture, a higher percentage of developing follicles was observed only in 2.5ng/ml of progesterone associated with FSH or 10ng/ml of progesterone alone when compared with control. From day 1 to day 7 of culture, a significant increase in the percentage of developing follicles was observed in MEM and 2.5ng/ml of progesterone + FSH. In addition, after 7 days, in all treatments, there was a significant increase in follicular diameter when compared with control, except for MEM alone and in 5ng/ml of progesterone + FSH or 10ng/ml of progesterone alone. Ultrastructural studies confirmed follicular integrity after 7 days of culture in 2.5ng/ml of progesterone with FSH. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the interaction between progesterone and FSH maintains ultrastructural integrity, stimulates primordial follicles activation and further growth of cultured caprine preantral follicles.

Effect of 30 mCi radioiodine on multinodular goiter previously treated with recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone

Recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone (rhTSH) enhances 131I uptake, permitting a decrease in radiation for the treatment of multinodular goiter (MNG). Our objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a single 0.1-mg dose of rhTSH, followed by 30 mCi 131I, in patients with MNG. Seventeen patients (15 females, 59.0 ± 13.1 years), who had never been submitted to 131I therapy, received a single 0.1-mg injection of rhTSH followed by 30 mCi 131I on the next day. Mean basal thyroid volume measured by computed tomography was 106.1 ± 64.4 mL. 131I 24-h uptake, TSH, free-T4, T3, thyroglobulin, anti-thyroid antibodies, and thyroid volume were evaluated at regular intervals of 12 months. Mean 131I 24-h uptake increased from 18.1 ± 9.7 to 49.6 ± 13.4% (P < 0.001), a median 2.6-fold increase (1.2 to 9.2). Peak hormonal levels were 10.86 ± 5.44 mU/L for TSH (a median 15.5-fold increase), 1.80 ± 0.48 ng/dL for free-T4, 204.61 ± 58.37 ng/dL for T3, and a median of 557.0 ng/mL for thyroglobulin. The adverse effects observed were hyperthyroidism (17.6%), painful thyroiditis (29.4%) and hypothyroidism (52.9%). Thyroid volume was reduced by 34.3 ± 14.3% after 6 months (P < 0.001) and by 46.0 ± 14.6% after 1 year (P < 0.001). Treatment of MNG with a single 0.1-mg dose of rhTSH, followed by a fixed amount of radioactivity of 131I, leads to an efficacious decrease in thyroid volume for the majority of the patients, with a moderate incidence of non-serious and readily treatable adverse effects.

Social condition affects hormone secretion and exploratory behavior in rats

Studies of behavior, endocrinology and physiology have described experiments in which animals housed in groups or in isolation were normally tested individually. The isolation of the animal from its group for testing is perhaps the most common situation used today in experimental procedures, i.e., there is no consideration of the acute stress which occurs when the animal is submitted to a situation different from that it is normally accustomed to, i.e., group living. In the present study, we used 90 male 120-day-old rats (Rattus norvegicus) divided into 5 groups of 18 animals, which were housed 3 per cage, in a total of 6 cages. The animals were tested individually or with their groups for exploratory behavior. Hormones were determined by radioimmunoassay using specific kits. The results showed statistically significant differences between testing conditions in terms of behavior and of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH: from 116.8 ± 15.27 to 88.77 ± 18.74 when in group and to 159.6 ± 11.53 pg/ml when isolated), corticosterone (from 561.01 ± 77.04 to 1036.47 ± 79.81 when in group and to 784.71 ± 55.88 ng/ml when isolated), luteinizing hormone (from 0.84 ± 0.09 to 0.58 ± 0.05 when in group and to 0.52 ± 0.06 ng/ml when isolated) and prolactin (from 5.18 ± 0.33 to 9.37 ± 0.96 when in group and to 10.18 ± 1.23 ng/ml when isolated) secretion, but not in terms of follicle-stimulating hormone or testosterone secretion. The most important feature observed was that in each cage there was one animal with higher ACTH levels than the other two; furthermore, the exploratory behavior of this animal was different, indicating the occurrence of almost constant higher vigilance in this animal (latency to leave the den in group: 99.17 ± 34.95 and isolated: 675.3 ± 145.3 s). The data indicate that in each group there is an animal in a peculiar situation and its behavior can be detected by ACTH determination in addition to behavioral performance.

Luteinizing hormone reduction by the male potency herb, Butea superba Roxb.

To determine if Butea superba Roxb., a traditional Thai male potency herb, has androgenic activity in 60-day-old male Wistar rats, we measured its effects on the pituitary-testicular axis and sex organs. Intact and orchidectomized adult male rats were subdivided into five groups (10 rats/group): distilled water, Butea superba (BS)-10, BS-50, BS-250, and testosterone propionate (TP). They received 0, 10, 50, and 250 mg·kg body weight-1·day-1 BS in distilled water by gavage and 6 mg·kg body weight-1·day-1 TP sc, respectively, during the 30-day treatment period. Blood was collected every 15 days and luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone were measured. Changes of weight and histological appearance of sex organs were determined at the end of the 30-day treatment and 15-day post-treatment periods. TP treatment reduced serum FSH and LH levels and significantly increased the weight of the seminal vesicles and epididymis, in accordance with histopathological changes, in both intact and orchidectomized rats. No changes in serum testosterone, LH, and FSH levels were observed in any of the intact rats treated with BS, but a significant increase in seminal vesicle weight was observed only in the BS-250 group. Although a significant reduction in serum LH was detected in the BS-50 and BS-250 groups of orchidectomized rats, no significant change in weight or histology of sex organs was observed. Thus, we conclude that B. superba needs endogenous testosterone to work synergistically to stimulate the accessory sex organ of intact animals and can potentially exhibit an LH reduction effect in orchidectomized animals.

Effect of hormone replacement on exercise cardiopulmonary reserve and recovery performance in subclinical hypothyroidism

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) patients present cardiopulmonary, vascular and muscle dysfunction, but there is no consensus about the benefits of levothyroxine (L-T4) intervention on cardiopulmonary performance during exercise. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of L-T4 on cardiopulmonary exercise reserve and recovery in SH patients. Twenty-three SH women, 44 (40-50) years old, were submitted to two ergospirometry tests, with an interval of 6 months of normalization of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels (L-T4 replacement group) or simple observation (TSH = 6.90 μIU/mL; L-T4 = 1.02 ng/dL). Patients with TSH >10 μIU/mL were excluded from the study to assure that they would receive treatment in this later stage of SH. Twenty 30- to 57-year-old women with no thyroid dysfunction (TSH = 1.38 μIU/mL; L-T4 = 1.18 ng/dL) were also evaluated. At baseline, lower values of gas exchange ratio reserve (0.24 vs 0.30; P < 0.05) were found for SH patients. The treated group presented greater variation than the untreated group for pulmonary ventilation reserve (20.45 to 21.60 L/min; median variation = 5.2 vs 25.09 to 22.45 L/min; median variation = -4.75, respectively) and for gas exchange ratio reserve (0.19 to 0.27; median variation = 0.06 vs 0.28 to 0.18; median variation = -0.08, respectively). There were no relevant differences in cardiopulmonary recovery for either group at baseline or after follow-up. In the sample studied, L-T4 replacement improved exercise cardiopulmonary reserve, but no modification was found in recovery performance after exercise during this period of analysis.

Premature thelarche: identification of clinical and laboratory data for the diagnosis of precocious puberty

PURPOSE: Two groups of girls with premature breast development were studied retrospectively. We tried to identify clinical, radiological, and hormonal parameters that could distinguish between a benign, nonprogressive premature thelarche and a true precocious puberty. METHODS: The clinical outcome of 88 girls with breast enlargement before 6.1 years of age was analyzed. Taking into account the progression of their sexual maturation, we allocated the children into 2 groups: "Isolated Premature Thelarche" (n = 63) and "Precocious Puberty" (n = 25) groups. Chronological and bone ages, height and growth velocity centiles, computerized tomography of hypothalamus-pituitary area, pelvic ultrasonography, gonadotropin response to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation as well as basal levels of luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, estradiol, and prolactin were studied in both groups. Statistical analysis were performed using the Student t test to compare the sample means. Fisher's exact test and chi² test were used to analyze the nonparametric variables. RESULTS: Isolated premature thelarche most frequently affected girls younger than 2 years who presented exaggerated follicle-stimulating hormone response to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation test. The precocious puberty group had higher initial stature, accelerated growth rate and bone age, increased uterine and ovarian volumes, high spontaneous luteinizing hormone levels by immunofluorimetric assay, as well as a high luteinizing hormone response and peak luteinizing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone ratio after luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation. CONCLUSION: At initial presentation, girls who undergo true precocious puberty present advanced bone age, increased uterine and ovarian volumes in addition to breast enlargement, as well as an luteinizing hormone-predominant response after a luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone stimulation test.

Hypothyroidism following struma ovarii tumor resection: a case report

Struma ovarii is an infrequent ovarian tumor, and there are only few reports with detailed data of thyroid function. In several cases, malignant struma ovarii have been shown to produce hyperthyroidism, but there is no reported case of hypothyroidism following struma ovarii tumor resection. A 62-year-old white woman underwent right ovary resection that had a pathologic diagnosis of struma ovarii. After 6 days, she developed weakness, myalgia, somnolence, nausea, and arterial hypotension. Laboratory tests showed a high level of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and a decreased level thyroxin. Thyroxin replacement therapy was initiated, and the patient became completely asymptomatic. This is the first reported case of a previously asymptomatic woman who developed a definite clinical hypothyroidism after resection of a struma ovarii tumor.

Emprêgo do teste químico para o estudo da eliminação das gonadotropinas durante o ciclo menstrual

A chemical test previously described for the diagnosis of pregnancy was applied to the study of the excretion of gonadotropin in the urine during menstrual cycle. The chemical test is based on the selective adsorption by kaolim of the reducing substances biologically related to urinary gonadotropin. The active substance when acidified to pH 4.0 is adsorbed by the kolin and eluated with O.1N sodium hydroxide. The alkaline solution is treated by Somogyi's copper reagent and the excess not reduced is titrated by 0.005 N sodium thiosulfate. Gonadotropin is quantitatively addorbed by kaolin at pH 4.0 and eluated by alkaline solution as previously demonstrated by the A. (1). In the present paper the complete menstrual cycle was studied daily. It was observed that normally there are two distinct maxima of excretion. This study is based on 11 normal cycles (24-30 days) and 34 abnormal ones. Normal cycles showed a intramenstrual estrogens elimination from 200 to 260 mice units determinated by the Allen - Doisy full estrus smear test. The abnormal cycles belonging also to normal women showed much less estrogen excretion (14 to 25 mice units) Table II). In those cases with decreased estrogen excretion no fall in the curve after 14 th. day was observed. The A. suggest that the peaks of gonadotropin excretion is not related to the oculation but possibly due, the first one, to the follicle stimulating hormone and the second to the luteinizing hormone of hormone stimulating of the inerstitial tissue.

Hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function in men with liver cirrhosis before and after liver transplantation

Objective: To evaluate the influence of end-stage liver disease and orthotopic liver transplantation in the pituitary function and hormone metabolism before and after liver transplantation.Methods: In a prospective study, serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estradiol (E2) and prolactin (PRL) of 30 male patients with cirrhosis were determined two to four hours before and six months after liver transplantation. The results were compared according to the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD).Results: male patients with liver cirrhosis have hypogonadism. FSH was normal, but inappropriately low due to androgen failure; E2 and PRL, on their turn, were high. After liver transplantation, FSH and LH levels increased (p < 0.05), whereas E2 and PRL normalized (p < 0.05). The MELD score did not influence changes in FSH, PRL and LH, however, the more severe the cirrhosis was, the more significant was the normalization of E2 (p = 0.01).Conclusion: Patients with cirrhosis and male hypogonadism have inappropriately normal levels of FSH and LH, associated with an increase in E2 and LRP. After liver transplantation, FSH and LH increased, while E2 and PRL returned to normal. Changes in E2 levels were most pronounced in patients with MELD > 18. The severity of cirrhosis had no influence on FSH, PRL and LH.

Is liver transplantation associated with decreased bone mass in climacteric women?

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether climacteric women undergoing liver transplantation had higher prevalence of decreased bone mass than those without any liver disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 48 women receiving follow-up care at a university hospital in Southeastern Brazil, from February 4th 2009 to January 5th 2011, was conducted. Of these women, 24 were 35 years or older and had undergone liver transplantation at least one year before study entry. The remaining 24 women had no liver disease and their ages and menstrual patterns were similar to those of transplanted patients. Laboratorial tests (follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol) and bone density measurements of the lumbar spine and femur (equipment Hologic, Discovery WI) were performed. Statistical analysis was carried out by Fisher's exact test, simple Odds Ratio (OR), and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: Mean age of the women included in the study was 52.8 (±10.7) years-old, 27.1% were premenopausal and 72.9% were peri/postmenopausal. Approximately 14.6% of these women exhibited osteoporosis and 35.4% had low bone mass. The following items were associated with decreased bone mass: being postmenopausal (OR=71.4; 95%CI 3.8 - 1,339.7; p<0.0001), current age over 49 years-old (OR=11.4; 95%CI 2.9 - 44.0; p=0.0002), and serum estradiol levels lower than 44.5 pg/mL (OR=18.3; 95%CI 3.4 - 97.0; p<0.0001). Having a history of liver transplantation was not associated with decreased bone mass (OR=1.4; 95%CI 0.4 - 4.3; p=0.56). CONCLUSION: Liver transplantation was not associated with decreased bone mass in this group of climacteric women.

Association between Lipid Accumulation Product and Hirsutism in Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

Objective Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine metabolic disorder in women between menarche and menopause. Clinical hyperandrogenism is the most important diagnostic criterion of the syndrome, which manifests as hirsutism in 70% of cases. Hirsute carriers of PCOS have high cardiovascular risk. Lipid accumulation product (LAP) is an index for the evaluation of lipid accumulation in adults and the prediction of cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between LAP and hirsutism in women with PCOS. Methods This was a cross-sectional observational study of a secondary database, which included 263 patients who had visited the Hyperandrogenism Outpatient Clinic from November 2009 to July 2014. The exclusion criteria were patients without Ferriman-Gallwey index (FGI) and/or LAP data. We used the Rotterdam criteria for the diagnosis of PCOS. All patients underwent medical assessment followed by measurement and recording of anthropometric data and the laboratory tests for measurement of the following: thyroid-stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, prolactin, total testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone (follicular phase), glycohemoglobin A1c, and basal insulin. In addition, the subjects underwent lipid profiling and oral glucose tolerance tests. Other laboratory measurements were determined according to clinical criteria. LAP and the homeostatic model assessment index (HOMA-IR) were calculated using the data obtained. We divided patients into two groups: the PCOS group with normal LAP (< 34.5) and the PCOS group with altered LAP (> 34.5) to compare the occurrence of hirsutism. For statistical analysis, we used SPSS Statistics for Windows(r) and Microsoft Excel programs, with descriptive (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) and comparative analyses (Student's t-test and Chi-square test). We considered relations significant when the p-value was≤0.05. Results LAP was high in most patients (n = 177; 67.3%) and the FGI indicated that 58.5% of the patients (n = 154) had hirsutism. The analysis by LAP quartiles showed a positive correlation (p = 0.04) among patients with a high FGI and an upper quartile LAP (> 79.5) when compared with those with LAP < 29.0 (lower quartile). Conclusion This study demonstrated an association between high LAP and hirsutism. The FGI could represent a simple and low-cost tool to infer an increased cardiovascular risk in women with PCOS.

Pituitary-thyroid axis in short- and long-term experimental diabetes mellitus

Short-term experimental diabetes mellitus (DM) produces a significant decrease in serum thyroid hormones, a decreased or normal serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and a reduction in hepatic and renal T4-5'-deiodination. However, little is known about the effects of chronic diabetes mellitus on the pituitary-thyroid axis function. We evaluated the changes induced by very short-term (6 days), short-term (15 days) and chronic (6 months) streptozotocin-induced diabetes mellitus in 3-month old female Dutch-Miranda rat serum T4, serum TSH and T4-5'-deiodinase activity in the thyroid and pituitary glands. Serum hormones were determined by specific radioimmunoassays. Iodothyronine-5'-deiodinase activities were assayed in the thyroid and pituitary microsomal fractions using 2 µM T4 as substrate. Mean serum T4 was significantly decreased from 3.3 to 2.0 µg/dl 6 days after diabetes mellitus induction, and from 2.2 to 1.5 µg/dl after 15 days of DM, with no significant changes in serum TSH, indicating a decreased pituitary TSH responsiveness to the diminished suppression by T4, even though pituitary T4-5'-deiodinase activity was unchanged. Thyroid T4-5'-deiodinase was unchanged after 6 days of diabetes mellitus, but was significantly increased from 20.6 to 37.0 pmol T3/mg protein after 15 days. Six months after diabetes mellitus induction, both serum T4 and thyroid T4-5'-deiodinase returned to normal ranges and serum TSH was unchanged, although pituitary T4-5'-deiodinase was now significantly decreased from 2.7 to 1.7 pmol T3/mg protein. These findings indicate that some kind of adaptation to chronic insulinopenia may occur at the thyroid level, but this does not seem to be true for the pituitary

Does plasma ANP participate in natriuresis induced by a-MSH?

a-Melanocyte-stimulating hormone (a-MSH; 0.6 and 3 nmol) microinjected into the anteroventral region of the third ventricle (AV3V) induced a significant increase in diuresis without modifying natriuresis or kaliuresis. Intraperitoneal (ip) injection of a-MSH (3 and 9.6 nmol) induced a significant increase in urinary sodium, potassium and water excretion. Intraperitoneal (3 and 4.8 nmol) or iv (3 and 9.6 nmol) administration of a-MSH did not induce any significant changes in plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), suggesting that the natriuresis, kaliuresis and diuresis induced by the systemic action of a-MSH can be dissociated from the increase in plasma ANP. These preliminary results suggest that a-MSH may be involved in a g-MSH-independent mechanism of regulation of hydromineral metabolism

Effect of FSH and insulin on lipogenesis in cultures of Sertoli cells from immature rats

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and insulin regulate glycide metabolism in Sertoli cells, thus stimulating lactate production. These stimulatory effects of FSH and insulin do not require protein synthesis, suggesting a modulation of enzyme activity and/or regulation of glucose transport. The present investigation was performed to characterize the hormonal control of lipid metabolism in Sertoli cells. The data indicate that FSH and insulin have a regulatory effect on lipid metabolism in Sertoli cells. After 8 h of preincubation with insulin (5 µg/ml), the activity of the enzyme ATP-citrate lyase in cultured Sertoli cells was increased from 0.19 to 0.34 nmol NAD+ formed µg protein-1 min-1. FSH (100 ng/ml) had no effect on this enzyme. Glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase activity was not affected by any of the hormones tested. When Sertoli cells from 19-day old rats were incubated with [1,2­14C]acetate for 90 or 360 min, the [14C] label was present predominantly in triglyceride and phospholipid fractions with minor amounts in other lipids. In Sertoli cells pretreated for 16 h with insulin and FSH, an increase in acetate incorporation into lipids was observed. Most of the label was in esterified lipids and this percentage increased with the time of treatment; this increase was remarkable in triglycerides of control cells (18.8% to 30.6%). Since Sertoli cell triglycerides participate in the control of spermatogenesis, the present data suggest that the hormonal control of lipid metabolism in Sertoli cells is important not only for maintaining the energy of the cell itself, but also for the control of the spermatogenesis process.

Decreased spermatogenic and androgenic testicular functions in adult rats submitted to immobilization-induced stress from prepuberty

We investigated whether chronic stress applied from prepuberty to full sexual maturity interferes with spermatogenic and androgenic testicular functions. Male Wistar rats (40 days old) were immobilized 6 h a day for 60 days. Following immobilization, plasma concentrations of corticosterone and prolactin increased 135% and 48%, respectively, while plasma luteinizing hormone and testosterone presented a significant decrease of 29% and 37%, respectively. Plasma concentration of follicle-stimulating hormone was not altered in stressed rats. Chronic stress reduced the amount of mature spermatids in the testis by 16% and the spermatozoon concentration in the cauda epididymidis by 32%. A 17% reduction in weight and a 42% decrease in DNA content were observed in the seminal vesicle of immobilized rats but not in its fructose content. The growth and secretory activity of the ventral prostate were not altered by chronic stress.