Endocrinology, Vol 129, 389-395, Copyright © 1991 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Evidence that inhibin plays a major role in the regulation of follicle- stimulating hormone secretion in the fully adult male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

R Medhamurthy, MD Culler, VL Gay, A Negro-Vilar and TM Plant
Department of Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania 15261.

In the juvenile male rhesus monkey in which an adult-like pattern of endocrine activity in the pituitary-testicular axis is imposed by pulsatile stimulation with exogenous GnRH, administration of inhibin antiserum elicits a marked and selective hypersecretion of FSH. This finding suggests that in the monkey, testicular inhibin plays a major role in the postpubertal regulation of this gonadotropin. The purpose of the present study was to confirm this view more directly. To this end, 10 adult male rhesus monkeys were implanted with indwelling venous catheters and housed in specialized cages that permit continuous access to the venous circulation with minimal restraint and without tranquilization. Six of the males received a continuous infusion of an ovine antiserum to the alpha-subunit of human inhibin (iv bolus injection of 2.22 ml/kg BW, followed by a continuous infusion of serum at 0.62 ml/kg BW.24 h), and 4 animals received a similar infusion of control ovine immune serum. The duration of the infusion of the inhibin antiserum ranged from 2.5-7.5 days, and that for the control serum was 7.5 days. The FSH response to immunoneutralization of circulating inhibin was determined by measuring concentrations of this gonadotropin in sequential plasma samples collected between 1900-2300 h on the day before initiation of the anti-serum infusion and, depending on the duration of the infusion, on days 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, and 6.5 of antiserum administration. In 5 of the 6 animals that received the inhibin antiserum, a progressive hypersecretion of FSH was observed during the initial 2.5 days of the infusion. This increase in circulating FSH concentration, which reached, by day 2.5 of treatment, a value 2- to 3-fold greater (P less than 0.05) than the pretreatment control level, was not associated with changes in either LH or testosterone levels. Continuation of the infusion of the inhibin antiserum beyond 2.5 days invariably resulted in a marked decline in LH and testosterone secretion, suggesting that the hypophysiotropic drive to the pituitary-testicular axis may have been compromised, presumably by a mechanism related to the infusion of heterologous serum. Infusion of the control immune serum for 2.5 days was not associated with an elevation of circulating FSH concentrations, and changes in circulating concentrations of plasma LH and testosterone were, as expected, unremarkable. Continuation of the infusion of control serum, like that of antiserum, generally resulted in a temporary but precipitous decline in LH and testosterone secretion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Guo, S.-X. Tao, M. Chen, Y.-Q. Shi, Z.-Q. Zhang, Y.-C. Li, X.-S. Zhang, Z.-Y. Hu, and Y.-X. Liu Heat Treatment Induces Liver Receptor Homolog-1 Expression in Monkey and Rat Sertoli Cells Endocrinology, March 1, 2007; 148(3): 1255 - 1265. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. J Winters and J. P Moore Intra-pituitary regulation of gonadotrophs in male rodents and primates Reproduction, July 1, 2004; 128(1): 13 - 23. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. M. Plant and G. R. Marshall The Functional Significance of FSH in Spermatogenesis and the Control of Its Secretion in Male Primates Endocr. Rev., December 1, 2001; 22(6): 764 - 786. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. J. Hayes, N. Pitteloud, S. DeCruz, W. F. Crowley Jr., and P. A. Boepple Importance of Inhibin B in the Regulation of FSH Secretion in the Human Male J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., November 1, 2001; 86(11): 5541 - 5546. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. J. Winters, S. Kawakami, A. Sahu, and T. M. Plant Pituitary Follistatin and Activin Gene Expression, and the Testicular Regulation of FSH in the Adult Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta) Endocrinology, July 1, 2001; 142(7): 2874 - 2878. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A.J. Tilbrook and I.J. Clarke Negative Feedback Regulation of the Secretion and Actions of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone in Males Biol Reprod, March 1, 2001; 64(3): 735 - 742. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				A.J. Tilbrook, D.M. de Kretser, and I.J. Clarke Influence of the Degree of Stimulation of the Pituitary by Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone on the Action of Inhibin and Testosterone to Suppress the Secretion of the Gonadotropins in Rams Biol Reprod, February 1, 2001; 64(2): 473 - 481. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				H. Kishi, M. Itoh, S. Wada, Y. Yukinari, Y. Tanaka, N. Nagamine, W. Jin, G. Watanabe, and K. Taya Inhibin is an important factor in the regulation of FSH secretion in the adult male hamster Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab, April 1, 2000; 278(4): E744 - E751. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Ramaswamy, C. R. Pohl, A. S. McNeilly, S. J. Winters, and T. M. Plant The Time Course of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Suppression by Recombinant Human Inhibin A in the Adult Male Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta) Endocrinology, August 1, 1998; 139(8): 3409 - 3415. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. J. Hayes, J. E. Hall, P. A. Boepple, and W. F. Crowley Jr. Differential Control of Gonadotropin Secretion in the Human: Endocrine Role of Inhibin J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., June 1, 1998; 83(6): 1835 - 1841. [Full Text]

				A.-M. Andersson, A. Juul, J. H. Petersen, J. Muller, N. P. Groome, and N. E. Skakkebak Serum Inhibin B in Healthy Pubertal and Adolescent Boys: Relation to Age, Stage of Puberty, and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone, Luteinizing Hormone, Testosterone, and Estradiol Levels J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 1997; 82(12): 3976 - 3981. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. M. Wallace, N. P. Groome, S. C. Riley, A. C. Parker, and F. C. W. Wu Effects of Chemotherapy-Induced Testicular Damage on Inhibin, Gonadotropin, and Testosterone Secretion: A Prospective Longitudinal Study J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., September 1, 1997; 82(9): 3111 - 3115. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. D. Veldhuis, A. Iranmanesh, E. Samojlik, and R. J. Urban Differential Sex Steroid Negative Feedback Regulation of Pulsatile Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Secretion in Healthy Older Men: Deconvolution Analysis and Steady- State Sex-Steroid Hormone Infusions in Frequently Sampled Healthy Older Individuals J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 1997; 82(4): 1248 - 1254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. S. Majumdar, S. J. Winters, and T. M. Plant A Study of the Relative Roles of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone in the Regulation of Testicular Inhibin Secretion in the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta) Endocrinology, April 1, 1997; 138(4): 1363 - 1373. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]