bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Steroid production in vitro by rat ovaries during sexual maturation
Authors: Uilenbroek J. Th. J. , Woutersen P. J. A. , van der Linden R.
Published: December 2008

To determine changes in steroidogenesis by rat ovaries during sexual maturation, ovaries obtained at various ages (days 10–35) and at the first pro-oestrus were incubated in the absence or presence of LH and the accumulation of steroids in the medium was measured.

Basal and LH-stimulated oestradiol-17β and testosterone release into the medium, expressed in pmol/4 h per mg ovary, was high at day 10 of age and at first pro-oestrus. Between days 20 and 35 basal oestradiol and testosterone release was low and could not be stimulated by LH. Addition of testosterone to the culture medium increased oestradiol production at all ages studied. Release of progesterone occurred at all ages even in LH-free medium. Incubation in the presence of LH resulted in a dose-dependent increase in progesterone with a maximal response at pro-oestrus. Androsterone and 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol production in the absence or presence of LH was high during the entire prepuberal period. Production of 5α-reduced androgens in response to LH increased from days 10 to 20 but decreased thereafter. Similarly, 5α-reductase activity, measured in ovarian homogenates, increased from days 10 to 20 but was decreased again by first pro-oestrus. A further decrease in basal and LH-stimulated 5α-reduced androgen production occurred after first ovulation.

These results demonstrated age-related changes in steroid release after in-vitro incubation. At day 10 progesterone can be converted to aromatizable androgens allowing production of oestrogens, while after day 10 progesterone is converted to 5α-reduced C19 steroids. The decrease in 5α-reductase activity correlates with an increase in LH-stimulated testosterone and oestradiol production at the first pro-oestrus.
Sex differences in the serum concentrations of testosterone in mice and hamsters during their critical periods of neural sexual differentiation
Authors: Pang S. F. , Tang F.
Published: December 2008

Male and female mice and hamsters were decapitated 1–5 days after birth and serum concentrations of testosterone determined by radioimmunoassay. In the two species studied, serum levels of testosterone in male pups were significantly (P <0·05) higher than those obtained in female neonates. This lends support to the hypothesis that circulating levels of testosterone play an important role in the process of neural sexual differentiation in rodents. Moreover, the sex differences in serum concentrations of testosterone in neonatal rodents together with the detectable levels of testosterone in female neonates may suggest that androgenization is a dose-dependent phenomenon. Alternatively, they may indicate that a minimum concentration of the steroid must be present for androgenization to occur during the critical period of neural sexual differentiation and that this 'threshold' is exceeded in male but not in female rodents.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 7–11
Relative potencies of testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone on crowing and cloacal gland growth in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
Authors: Balthazart J. , Schumacher M. , Malacarne G.
Published: December 2008

It has been suggested that testosterone is less effective at inducing crowing behaviour in young birds than in adults because of the presence of higher levels of steroid 5β-reductase in the young brain, which converts testosterone to inactive 5β-reduced metabolites. This hypothesis was tested indirectly by comparing the relative potencies of 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT), which cannot be converted to 5β-metabolities, and testosterone at inducing crowing in young gonadectomized male and female quail. The promotion of cloacal gland growth by these treatments was also assessed since there are no age-related changes in 5β-reductase in this organ.

Silicone elastomer implants (2·5, 5 and 10 mm) containing 5α-DHT were more effective at stimulating crowing than similar implants of testosterone whilst there was little difference in their potency at inducing cloacal gland growth. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that brain steroid 5β-reductase regulates the behavioural activity of testosterone in the brain of young birds.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 19–23
The International Reference Preparation of Tetracosactide for Bioassay: characterization and estimation of its (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide content by physicochemical and biological methods
Authors: Storring P. L. , Witthaus G. , Gaines Das R. E. , Stamm W.
Published: December 2008

The preparation and nature of the International Reference Preparation of Tetracosactide for Bioassay (IRP; in ampoules coded 80/590) are described. The IRP was studied by six laboratories in five countries using in-vivo and in-vitro bioassays and various physicochemical methods.

The bulk (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide (batch 000179) from which the IRP was prepared contained 10·4% (w/w) acetic acid and 8·3% (w/w) water; its (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide content was estimated to be 71·7% (w/w) by amino acid analysis, 74·2% (w/w) by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and 77·5% (w/w) by spectrophotometry.

(1–24)Corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide accounted for more than 90% (w/w) of the total peptide in the IRP as judged by HPLC, thin-layer chromatography, carboxymethyl-cellulose chromatography, isoelectric focusing (IEF) and electrophoresis. The homogeneity of the peptide in the IRP was similar by all methods to that in batch 000179 from which it was prepared.

The (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide content of the IRP (with 95% confidence limits), in terms of batch 000179, was found to be 491 μg/ampoule by HPLC and spectrophotometry, 473 (433–513) μg/ ampoule by IEF and 505 (473–539) μg/ampoule by the in-vitro rat adrenocortical cell assay. A comparison in the same bioassay system of the IRP with a laboratory house standard of (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide, which originated from a different manufacturer, gave similar results.

Accelerated thermal degradation studies of the IRP by adrenocortical cell assay, HPLC and IEF suggested that more than 99·9% of its original content of (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide would remain after 10 years under normal storage conditions of − 20 °C in the dark. Bioassay estimates of samples of the IRP which had undergone significant degradation were higher than estimates by HPLC, indicating that molecular species other than (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide contributed to their corticotrophic activity.

The corticotrophic activity of the IRP was demonstrated by cytochemical bioassay and by in-vivo bioassay as well as by the adrenocortical cell assay. After consideration of these data, the Expert Committee on Biological Standardization of the World Health Organization established the ampouled preparation, coded 80/590, as the International Reference Preparation of Tetracosactide for Bioassay and assigned to it a potency of 490 i.u./ampoule; thus the i.u. is represented by 1 μg (1–24)corticotrophin-tetracosapeptide.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 51–60
Indices of ovulation: comparison of plasma and salivary levels of progesterone with urinary pregnanediol
Authors: Metcalf M. G. , Evans J. J. , Mackenzie J. A.
Published: December 2008

An increased daily excretion of pregnanediol, relative to that early in the menstrual cycle, is often taken to be evidence that a woman has ovulated. This paper assesses the value of alternative procedures for this purpose. Urine, plasma and saliva samples were collected during a 24-h period from 20 women during the follicular phase and from 20 women during the luteal phase. The 24-h excretion of pregnanediol was compared with (1) the concentration of progesterone in plasma, (2) the concentration of progesterone in saliva, (3) the concentration of pregnanediol in small urine samples, (4) the rate of excretion of pregnanediol and (5) the ratio of pregnanediol to creatinine in small urine samples. Each analyte increased substantially during the luteal phase. The median increases (ratio of luteal to follicular phase values) were 14·8, 3·2, 10·6, 11·9 and 11·1 respectively. By comparison, the median increase in 24-h pregnanediol output was 9·2. When the other analytes were used instead of the 24-h excretion of pregnanediol to assess the possibility of ovulation, the incidence of misclassifications (follicular samples classed as luteal and luteal samples classed as follicular) was 0, 12·8, 5·9, 2·0 and 1·0% respectively. It was concluded that the most satisfactory alternative to the measurement of 24-h pregnanediol output for the biochemical assessment of ovulation based on progesterone production was the measurement of the concentration of progesterone in plasma; the least satisfactory alternative was determination of the concentration of progesterone in saliva. If blood was not available, measurement of the ratio of pregnanediol to creatinine in a small urine sample was the preferred method.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 75–80
Localization of central nervous system structures mediating extracellular thirst in the female rat
Authors: Kucharczyk J.
Published: December 2008

Water intake elicited by microinjection of the hormone angiotensin-II into the preoptic region of cyclic female rats was significantly less on days of vaginal oestrus than at dioestrus or metoestrus, whereas the drinking of 2·7% NaCl solution, to which rats also had access, did not vary with the cycle. Administration of the same dose of angiotensin-II to the subfornical organ and the lateral cerebral ventricles induced drinking at all stages of the oestrous cycle, but the volumes of water or 2·7% NaCl ingested did not vary with the cycle. Water intake after subcutaneous injection of isoprenaline, a β-adrenergic agonist which causes increased angiotensin biosynthesis, varied cyclically with the stage of the oestrous cycle. On the other hand, water and 2·7% NaCl intakes induced by intraperitoneal injection of hypertonic NaCl (a cellular stimulus of thirst) or by 24-h water deprivation (which dehydrates both the extracellular and cellular body fluid compartments) did not differ significantly at the various stages of the oestrous cycle. The finding that fluctuations in angiotensin- and isoprenaline-induced water intake parallel the changes in spontaneous 24-h drinking suggests that the preoptic region may play an important role in the maintenance of extracellular fluid balance in synchrony with the oestrous cycle.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 183–188
Effects of handling, anaesthesia, ovariectomy and adrenalectomy on serial measurements of plasma progesterone in 16-day pregnant rats
Authors: Bruce N. W. , Willcox D. L. , Meyer G. T. , Waddell B. J.
Published: December 2008

The basal concentrations of progesterone in plasma of 16-day pregnant rats were measured after seven different sampling procedures. Progesterone concentrations in serial samples from rats held at the time of sampling (restrained group) were compared with those obtained from rats allowed to remain free in their cage (free group). In addition, the effects on plasma progesterone concentrations of anaesthesia induced by ether or pentobarbitone sodium, and of adrenalectomy and/or ovariectomy were studied. Over the 8-h sampling period, progesterone concentrations in the plasma of restrained rats, with or without anaesthesia, were about 30% higher and more variable than those in free rats. Progesterone concentrations rose sharply over the first 30 min in restrained rats and in those treated with ether. Rats adrenalectomized the day before sampling did not show this early rise and their progesterone concentrations were similar to those of free rats. Progesterone concentrations were lowest in ovariectomized rats which had also been adrenalectomized. These findings show that adrenal secretion can increase plasma concentrations of progesterone in pregnant rats which have been handled or anaesthetized. Such a rise might well modulate the effects of experimental stimuli.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 189–193
Effect of hypothalamic neuropeptides on corticotrophin release from quarters of rat anterior pituitary gland in vitro
Authors: Nicholson S. A. , Adrian T. E. , Gillham B. , Jones M. T. , Bloom S. R.
Published: December 2008

The effect of six hypothalamic peptides on the basal release of ACTH and that induced by arginine vasopressin (AVP) or by ovine corticotrophin releasing factor (oCRF) from fragments of the rat anterior pituitary gland incubated in vitro was investigated. Dose–response curves to AVP and to oCRF were obtained, and the response to a low dose of oCRF was potentiated by a low dose of AVP. Basal release of ACTH was not affected by any of the peptides in concentrations in the range 10−12 to 10−6 mol/l, and only substance P (SP) and somatostatin (SRIF) inhibited significantly the response to oCRF in a dose-related manner. The responses to a range of doses of oCRF or AVP were reduced by 10−8 and 10 − 6 mol SP or SRIF/1, and to a greater extent by the higher dose. Except in the case of 10−6 mol SRIF/1 on the response to AVP, the response was not further diminished by preincubation of the tissue with the peptide before the stimulating agent was added. The inhibition of the responses to AVP or oCRF by 10−9 mol SP/1 was not potentiated by its combination with either 5 × 10−10 or 10−8 mol SRIF/1; the inhibitory effects were merely additive. The results suggest that although SRIF and SP are able to modulate the release of ACTH from the anterior pituitary gland, they do so only at a high concentration. In the case of SRIF these concentrations are several orders of magnitude higher than those reported to be present in the hypophysial portal blood and therefore a physiological role for this peptide in the control of ACTH secretion is unlikely.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 219–226
Inhibition by corticosterone of calcium inflow and insulin release in rat pancreatic islets
Authors: Billaudel B. , Mathias P. C. F. , Sutter B. C. J. , Malaisse W. J.
Published: December 2008

Corticosterone (0·6 μmol/l) inhibited both 45Ca outflow and insulin release evoked by glucose, the combination of leucine and glutamine, 2-ketoisocaproate, gliclazide or the association of gliclazide and a tumour-promoting phorbol ester in rat pancreatic islets perifused at normal extracellular Ca2+ concentration (1·0 mmol/l). In all cases, the inhibitory action of corticosterone reached statistical significance within 10–22 min of exposure to this steroid and failed to be rapidly reversible. Corticosterone failed to affect basal 45Ca outflow and insulin release. The steroid also failed to affect the inhibitory action of glucose upon 45Ca outflow, as judged from either the glucose-induced early fall in effluent radioactivity from islets maintained at normal extracellular Ca2+ concentration or the steady-state values for 45Ca outflow from glucose-stimulated but Ca2+-deprived islets. Corticosterone caused a modest increase in 86Rb outflow from islets perifused in the presence of glucose (16·7 mmol/l). It is concluded that corticosterone impairs Ca2+ inflow into the islet cells and, by doing so, causes a progressive inhibition of insulin release. The pancreatic B cell might thus serve as a further model for the study of the rapid biological response to steroids, as presumably mediated by alteration in the biophysical properties of the plasma membrane.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 227–233
Effects of tactile and electrical stimuli upon release of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in the mammalian penis
Authors: Dixson A. F. , Kendrick K. M. , Blank M. A. , Bloom S. R.
Published: December 2008

Plasma levels of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the corpora cavernosa penis and dorsal penile veins greatly exceeded those measured in the limb or caudal veins during anaesthesia in various mammals (Bennett's wallaby, Barbary sheep, cheetah, puma, sooty mangabey, pigtail macaque and chimpanzee). Tactile stimulation of the penis immediately before or during collection of blood samples resulted in an increase. In the wallaby, VIP levels (mean ± s.e.m.) in blood samples collected from the flaccid penis in the absence of tactile stimulation were very low (0·6 ± 0·5 pmol/l). A 36-fold increase in VIP occurred after manual extension of the flaccid penis (24·8 ± 3·2 pmol/l) or during manually stimulated erections (25· 1 ± 1·7 pmol/l). Electrical stimulation of erection produced no significant increase in VIP levels (2·3±0·9 pmol/l) unless accompanied by tactile stimulation (17·5±1·4 pmol/l). These studies provide the first demonstration that sensory feedback from the penis plays an important role in regulating vasoactive intestinal polypeptidergic activity. Since VIP is a potent vasodilator its release due to tactile stimuli during copulation may play a role in the maintenance of penile erection.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 249–252
Induction of cytosolic receptors for 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the immature rat uterus by oestradiol
Authors: Levy J. , Zuili I. , Yankowitz N. , Shany S.
Published: December 2008

The role of oestradiol-17β in the induction of specific cytosolic receptors for 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3) was examined in the immature rat uterus.

An acrylamide gel electrophoretic analysis was developed to separate the specific receptor for 1,25(OH)2D3 from the plasma binding protein for vitamin D3 metabolites. Employing this sensitive method the presence of receptors for 1,25(OH)2D3 in the mature rat uterus was evident. Such receptors were not found in the uterus of saline-treated immature rats. However, oestradiol administration caused an induction of these receptors in the immature rat uterus, together with a significant increase in the uterine weight, progesterone receptor level and peroxidase activity.

These results suggest a mechanism for oestradiol regulation of calcium metabolism in the uterus at times of high demand for this cation during the gestation period.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 265–269
Characterization of somatostatin in peripheral and portal plasma in the duck: in-vivo metabolism of somatostatin-28 and-14
Authors: Di Scala-Guenot D. , Strosser M.-T. , Mialhe P.
Published: December 2008

A sensitive and specific radioimmunoassay without an extraction step was developed for somatostatin in duck plasma. Degradation of Tyr1-125I-labelled somatostatin-14 (S-14) averaged 2% for blood collected with EDTA and zymofren. Recovery of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI), added to the plasma, averaged 91% for S-14 and 86% for S-28. Chromatographic analysis of portal plasma on Sephadex G-25 showed three peaks: one peak coeluted with cytochrome c (mol. wt 12 500) in the void volume and was called 'big' somatostatin; of the two smaller forms, one coeluted with synthetic S-28 and the other with synthetic S-14; these were immunologically and physicochemically indistinguishable from synthetic S-28 and S-14. In peripheral plasma only the large form of somatostatin, 'big' somatostatin, was found. The mean portal plasma concentration of SLI was 4·1 ±0·41 μg/l (n = 11, range 2·8–5·1 μg/l). In peripheral plasma the SLI concentration was 1·05 ±0·45 μg/l (n = 11, range 0·84–1·2 μg/l). The metabolic clearance rate, distribution volume and calculated half-life values were 63·1 ± 14 ml/kg per min, 40·9±8·9 ml/kg and 1·06±0·19 min for S-14 compared with 45·7 ±7 ml/kg per min, 14·8 ±2·5 ml/kg and 2·14± 0·54 min for S-28. These results indicated that S-28 was cleared from plasma at a slower rate than S-14 in the duck. It was concluded that: (1) portal plasma SLI was four times higher than peripheral SLI; (2) SLI in portal plasma existed as 'big' somatostatin, S-28 and S-14, whereas in peripheral plasma it existed mainly as 'big' somatostatin; (3) invivo studies indicated that S-28 was metabolized less rapidly than S-14.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 329–335
Small increases in peripheral noradrenaline inhibit the milk-ejection response by means of a peripheral mechanism
Authors: Lefcourt A. M. , Akers R. M.
Published: December 2008

The effects of exogenous noradrenaline on the milk-ejection response were determined for nine Holstein cows. Noradrenaline was injected (0·95 nmol/kg) 15 s after the start of teat stimulation (preparation) or infused (0·13 nmol/kg per min, after bolus injection of 0·47 nmol/kg) starting 10 min before milking for 20 min. Cows were prepared (udder wash and dry) for 1 min before milking. Both injection and infusion resulted in approximately a 3·5-fold increase in peripheral noradrenaline at 1·75 min after the start of milking (baseline noradrenaline 0·83 and 0·89 nmol/l plasma; at 4 min, 2·00 and 3·00 nmol/l). Prolactin release was delayed and oxytocin release enhanced, while milk yield was decreased by 8·6% for both treatments. The maximum rate of milk flow was also depressed by treatment. In contrast, milking time increased for injection and decreased for infusion. In addition, a milk-yield-dependent change in the pattern of milk flow was seen in response to treatment. In medium-yield animals, two distinct milk-flow peaks were apparent and injection delayed the time to the second peak.

We conclude that physiologically meaningful increases in peripheral noradrenaline can inhibit milk-ejection response by means of a peripheral mechanism not involving inhibition of release of oxytocin.

J. Endocr. (1984) 100, 337–344
Gonadal steroid modulation of naloxone-induced LH secretion in the rat
Authors: Petraglia F. , Locatelli V. , Pen̄alva A. , Cocchi D. , Genazzani A. R. , Müller E. E.
Published: December 2008

The effect of acute administration of the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone hydrochloride (5 mg/kg, s.c.) on plasma LH levels was evaluated in female and male rats 24, 36 and 48 h and 1,3 and 5 weeks after gonadectomy and in 5-week gonadectomized rats after acute or chronic (2 weeks) administration of oestradiol benzoate (OB, 10 μg/rat per day, s.c.), testosterone propionate (TP, 150 μg/rat, s.c.) or dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHT, 150 μg/rat, s.c.) respectively. Concurrent evaluation of plasma LH after administration of LH releasing hormone (LHRH, 1 μg/kg, i.p.) was performed in the same experimental groups.

In rats of both sexes, a significant rise in plasma LH after naloxone was observed in sham-operated and recently gonadectomized rats (24–48 h); in female rats 36 and 48 h after gonadectomy the rise was higher than in controls. One, 3 and 5 weeks after gonadectomy, naloxone failed to stimulate LH release in both female and male rats. In gonadectomized rats undergoing steroid replacement therapy, OB administered 72 h before testing, TP (16 and 72 h) and DHT (16 h) were the most effective in reinstituting the LH response to naloxone. Chronic administration of gonadal steroids did not restore normal LH responsiveness to naloxone. In most experimental groups, LH responses after naloxone were clearly unrelated to pituitary LH responsiveness to LHRH, which indicates that the opioid antagonist was acting via the central nervous system. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that: (1) gonadal steroids are critically important for the inhibitory effect of endogenous opioids on LH secretion to be manifested; (2) inhibition by the opiatergic system on LH secretion is more dependent on a modulatory action of gonadal steroids than on their simple presence or absence.

J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 33–39
Effects of naloxone and electroacupuncture treatment on plasma concentrations of LH in sheep
Authors: Malven P. V. , Bossut D. F. B. , Diekman M. A.
Published: December 2008

Mature ewes were injected intravenously with the opioid antagonist naloxone (1·1 mg/kg) during the breeding season. Ewes with luteal phase concentrations of plasma progesterone responded with a significant (P <0·05) increase in plasma LH 14–23 min after naloxone injection. In contrast, non-luteal ewes with low plasma progesterone did not respond to injection of naloxone with an LH increase. Similar treatment of castrated males (wethers) with this dosage of naloxone failed to increase plasma LH. Electroacupuncture (EA) treatment of luteal phase ewes prevented the ability of exogenous naloxone to increase plasma LH. Treatment of wethers by EA decreased significantly (P <0·01) their high basal concentrations of plasma LH, but similar EA treatment of intact ewes did not change their low basal concentrations of LH.

J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 75–80
Desensitization of rat anterior pituitary gland to thyrotrophin releasing hormone
Authors: Sheppard M. C. , Shennan K. I. J.
Published: December 2008

We have studied the secretion of TSH and prolactin from perifused rat anterior pituitary glands in vitro in response to single pulses of thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) and KCl after prior exposure to TRH. Anterior pituitary fragments were incubated in normal medium or in medium containing 28 nmol TRH/1 for 20 h before perifusion. Thyrotrophin releasing hormone (28 nmol/l), administered as a 3-min pulse, stimulated TSH and prolactin release from control tissue to a peak value four or five times that of basal. After exposure of the pituitary tissue to TRH for 20 h, the subsequent response of TSH to a 3-min pulse of TRH was, however, markedly reduced; in contrast, the prolactin response was not significantly reduced. In a similar series of experiments KCl (60 nmol/l) was administered to both control and TRH-'treated' pituitary tissue as a 3-min pulse; no significant differences in TSH responses or prolactin responses were observed. These data indicate that TRH desensitizes the pituitary thyrotroph to a subsequent TRH stimulus but has very little effect on prolactin secretion.

J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 101–105
Control of thyroglobulin secretion from the rat thyroid gland
Authors: Black E. G. , Sheppard M. C. , Hoffenberg R.
Published: December 2008

Serum thyroglobulin (Tg), measured by radioimmunoassay, was high in 6-propylthiouracil (PTU)-treated rats but low in thyroxine (T4)-treated animals compared with euthyroid controls. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulated Tg release in vitro from enzymatically dispersed normal rat thyroid cells in a dose-dependent manner. Thyroid cells prepared from T4-treated animals behaved similarly to cells from control rats, whereas in vitro basal release of Tg from thyroid cells prepared from PTU-treated animals was high and the response to TSH was lost. Our data confirm the TSH dependency of Tg release in vivo and in vitro and our system provides a means of studying the control of Tg secretion in vitro.

J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 107–111
Adrenal androgen concentrations in endometrium and plasma during the menstrual cycle
Authors: Bonney R. C. , Scanlon M. J. , Jones D. L. , Reed M. J. , James V. H. T.
Published: December 2008

Concentrations of 5-androstene-3β, 17β-diol (androstenediol), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA) and DHA sulphate (DHAS) were measured in endometrium and plasma from normal premenopausal and perimenopausal women (average ages 37 and 48 years respectively) at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Plasma levels did not vary with the stage of the cycle for any of the three steroids. Mean plasma levels of androstenediol ranged between 2·03 and 2·92 nmol/l for premenopausal women and 1·38 and 1·58 nmol/l for perimenopausal women while mean concentrations of DHA were 20·80–36·41 nmol/l (premenopausal women) and 13·87–19·07 nmol/l (perimenopausal women). The values for DHAS were more variable and ranged between 3·20 and 4·56 and 2·94 and 4·25 μmol/l for pre- and perimenopausal women respectively.

In premenopausal women endometrial tissue concentrations of androstenediol and DHA increased three to fourfold in the secretory phase while no increase was observed in DHAS. There was a similar increase in androstenediol but not DHA or DHAS during the secretory phase for perimenopausal women. A significant positive correlation was found for tissue androstenediol and DHA in both groups of women but the relationship between DHAS and the other androgens was significant only for perimenopausal women.

We suggest that the increase in androstenediol and DHA concentrations could be due to an increase in a receptor or binding protein, possibly progesterone dependent, present in secretory phase endometrium.

J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 181–188
Hypertrophied adrenocortical tissue of the Australian brush-tailed possum (Trichosurus vulpecula): uniformity during reproduction
Authors: Call R. N. , Janssens P. A.
Published: December 2008

Adrenal glands from normal male and female brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) were weighed and sectioned to investigate reported changes in the relative size of the hypertrophied region of the cortex during the reproductive cycle. Total adrenal gland weight in normal females averaged 120 mg/kg body weight and the hypertrophied region occupied 40% of the gland volume. No significant variation was found in these figures between glands from pregnant, lactating and cyclic possums. In addition, no cyclic pattern of cellular changes was found in the hypertrophied region. These results differ from views expressed in the current literature which are based on the original description of the hypertrophied zone.

J. Endocr. (1984) 101, 263–267
Soya–a dietary source of the non-steroidal oestrogen equol in man and animals
Authors: Axelson M. , Sjövall J. , Gustafsson B. E. , Setchell K. D. R.
Published: December 2008

The dietary origin of the weak oestrogen equol (7-hydroxy-3-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-chroman) present in human urine has been investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Feeding experiments with different food constituents and monitoring the urinary excretion of equol revealed that soya food yields more than 0·1 mg urinary equol/g flour ingested. From this source the glucoside of daidzein (4′,7-dihydroxyisoflavone) has been isolated and identified as a precursor of equol. Both equol and daidzein were characterized as monoglucuronide conjugates in human urine and the concentration of urinary equol exceeded the concentrations of the classical oestrogens by 100- to 1000-fold after ingestion of a single meal containing soya protein. The potential biological significance of this result is discussed.

J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 49–56
5β-Reductase activity in the brain and cloacal gland of male and female embryos in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica)
Authors: Balthazart J. , Ottinger M. A.
Published: December 2008

Testosterone metabolism was studied by an in-vitro technique in the brain and cloacal gland of young male and female quail at different ages ranging from 7 days of incubation to 2 days after hatching. Very active metabolism, leading almost exclusively to the production of 5β-reduced compounds, was observed. 5β-Reductase activity remained high throughout the incubation period in the hypothalamus, decreased around the time of hatching in the cerebellum and decreased progressively between days 7 and 15 of incubation in the cloacal gland. These changes could be involved in the control of sexual differentiation: the high 5β-reductase in the brain possibly protects males from being behaviourally demasculinized by their endogenous testosterone while the decreasing 5β-reductase in the cloacal gland would progressively permit the masculinization of that structure.

J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 77–81
Activity of LH receptor, LH-stimulated cyclic AMP and testosterone production in the Leydig cell of heat-acclimatized rats
Authors: Bedrak E. , Chap Z.
Published: December 2008

Key reactions associated with the capacity of the isolated Leydig cell to synthesize testosterone were studied in male rats acclimatized to a hot environment (33–35 °C, 25–40% relative humidity) and controls (20–22 °C, 30–50% relative humidity). The results demonstrate that acclimatization to heat coincides with: (1) a lower number of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) receptors (P<0·01) in the Leydig cell, (2) higher affinity of the Leydig cell for hCG (P < 0·05), (3) lower hCG-stimulated cyclic AMP production (P<0·05) by the Leydig cell and (4) lower capacity of the Leydig cell to synthesize testosterone (P<0·01) after hCG challenge. It is suggested that the major cellular alteration responsible for the decreased testosterone secretion by the Leydig cell lies distal to the step involving the binding of the trophic hormone to its receptor and that heat-acclimatization induces changes in the integrity of the various cellular membranes leading to the impeded function of adenylate cyclase and 17β-hydroxysteroid oxidoreductase.

J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 167–173
Dopamine agonist- and antagonist-induced modulation of pituitary gonadotrophin releasing hormone receptors are independent of changes in serum prolactin
Authors: Clayton R. N. , Bailey L. C.
Published: December 2008

The effect of drug-induced hypo- and hyperprolactinaemia on pituitary gonadotrophin releasing hormone receptors (GnRH-R), serum and pituitary gonadotrophins (LH and FSH) and prolactin was investigated in intact adult male and female rats. Hypoprolactinaemia (serum prolactin <20% of control values) resulting from dopamine agonist (bromocriptine) infusion (4 mg/kg per day for 7 days) was accompanied by a 40–50% increase in GnRH-R in both male and female animals, though this was not accompanied by any major change in serum or pituitary LH and FSH. Hyperprolactinaemia (serum prolactin greater than ten times control values) induced by the dopamine receptor antagonist metoclopramide (65 mg/kg per day for 7 days) increased GnRH-R between 35 and 45% in both male and female rats without altering serum gonadotrophins. Domperidone (1 mg twice daily for 14 days) also increased GnRH-R by 50% but only in female rats. Both dopamine antagonists significantly increased pituitary prolactin content. Pituitary FSH increased in female rats treated with both metoclopramide and domperidone.

The stimulatory effects of bromocriptine and metoclopramide on GnRH-R in male rats were prevented by concurrent treatment with a GnRH antiserum, suggesting that the drug effects were mediated through alteration in endogenous GnRH secretion.

Induction of massive (serum prolactin > 2000 μg/l) hyperprolactinaemia in male and female rats with a transplantable prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour did not reduce GnRH-R concentration, although serum gonadotrophins were suppressed and pituitary gonadotrophin content was increased.

These results indicate a dissociation between serum prolactin concentrations and pituitary GnRH receptor content and indicate that dopamine agonist and antagonist agents can influence GnRH-R independently of prolactin, possibly by acting on central dopamine receptors responsible for catecholaminergic regulation of GnRH secretion.

J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 215–223
Effect of parathyroid hormone and calcitonin on the cytoplasmic spreading of isolated osteoclasts
Authors: Chambers T. J. , Athanasou N. A. , Fuller K.
Published: December 2008

Osteoclasts, the major agents of bone resorption, were isolated from neonatal rat bone, and the cytoplasmic spreading of these cells was measured after incubation in the presence or absence of hormones or other cell types. Salmon calcitonin, which inhibits osteoclastic bone resorption, reduced spreading in a dose-dependent manner and caused significant inhibition at concentrations as low as 6·7 pg/ml. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) had no effect on the spreading of isolated osteoclasts but if osteoblasts and osteoclasts were co-cultured the addition of PTH caused a marked increase in spreading at concentrations of 0·025 i.u./ml and above. The results suggest that while calcitonin is a direct inhibitor of osteoclastic activity, PTH may stimulate osteoclasts through a primary action on osteoblasts.

J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 281–286
Production rate, metabolic clearance rate and blood concentration of progesterone in conscious and anaesthetized pregnant rats
Authors: Waddell B. J. , Bruce N. W.
Published: December 2008

Both production rate and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of progesterone may vary rapidly and so effect short-term changes in blood concentration of the hormone. Here, a constant infusion and sampling technique was used to estimate these three characteristics of progesterone metabolism in seven conscious and ten anaesthetized rats on day 16 of pregnancy. After steady state was achieved, four samples were collected during a 1-h period from each rat. Mean values for production rate and MCR of progesterone in conscious rats were 14·0 ±1·4 μmol/day and 63·2 ± 6·2 litres/day respectively. Both values were substantially reduced in anaesthetized rats (8.6 ±0·8 μmol/ day and 39·4± 3·4 litres/day respectively) and so blood concentration was unchanged. The production rate was positively related to the total mass of luteal tissue (common correlation coefficient, r = 0·61, P <0·05). There were no consistent changes in the three characteristics with time but variation within rats was high. The estimated coefficients of variation for production rate, MCR and blood concentration within rats were 26, 18 and 17% in conscious and 27, 20 and 23% in anaesthetized rats respectively. Short-term changes in production rate and MCR generally were in the same direction (P <0·05). This reduced variation in blood concentration which would otherwise have occurred if production rate and MCR were unrelated. The pregnant rat is clearly capable of rapid shifts in production rate, MCR and blood concentration of progesterone and the positive relationship between production rate and MCR has a homeostatic effect on blood concentration.

J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 357–363
Ovulation in the marmoset monkey: endocrinology, prediction and detection
Authors: Harlow C. R. , Hearn J. P. , Hodges J. K.
Published: December 2008

Circulating progesterone, oestrogens and LH were measured in female marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) over the periovulatory period. Progesterone concentrations increased in all animals within 1 day of the estimated day of ovulation, confirming the usefulness of this hormone for retrospective detection of ovulation. Oestradiol-17β and LH both showed a preovulatory rise, but due to the large quantity of plasma required (oestradiol: 0·2 ml) and the length of time taken for the assay (LH: 2–3 days), measurement of these hormones is not practical for the prediction of ovulation. There were no preovulatory changes in unconjugated oestrone, but a rise in total (i.e. conjugated plus unconjugated) oestrone was used to time the collection of recently ovulated oocytes. Levels of oestrone-3-sulphate showed an increase at least 1 day before the expected day of ovulation in four out of five animals. This preovulatory rise can be measured easily by a rapid direct assay, thereby providing a practical method for predicting ovulation in this species.

J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 17–24
Effects of hypobaric hypoxia on the Leydig cell population of the testis of the rat
Authors: Gosney J. R.
Published: December 2008

A group of ten young adult male Wistar albino rats was exposed to hypobaric hypoxia at a barometric pressure of 380 mmHg for 28 days. After this period their testes were of smaller weight (and volume) in comparison with matched controls (1·220 vs 1·553 g; P < 0·005). Histological examination revealed degeneration and sloughing of spermatogenic cells in occasional tubules. Quantitative methods also revealed a marked difference in the volume of the testis occupied by Leydig cells. These were of a significantly smaller total volume in the hypoxic animals (0·046 vs 0·083 ml; P < 0·001) and this could not be accounted for merely by the smaller overall testicular volume.

J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 59–62
Dopaminergic inhibition of prolactin release from pituitary glands of the domestic fowl incubated in vitro
Authors: Hall T. R. , Chadwick A.
Published: December 2008

Anterior pituitary glands from broiler fowl were incubated by themselves, with hypothalamic tissue or with thyrotrophin releasing hormone (TRH) in medium containing dopamine and its antagonist pimozide. The presence of hypothalamic tissue or TRH resulted in a stimulation of release of prolactin. Neither dopamine nor pimozide affected prolactin release directly from the pituitary gland. Dopamine inhibited the release of prolactin stimulated by hypothalamic tissue or TRH, in a concentration-dependent fashion. Pimozide diminished the response to dopamine. After pituitary glands were preincubated for 20 h in medium containing oestradiol-17β, the basal release of prolactin was enhanced as was the response to TRH. Both basal and TRH-stimulated release of prolactin from the oestrogen-primed pituitary glands was inhibited by dopamine, an effect blocked by pimozide. Hypothalami from broiler fowl were incubated for up to 8 h in medium containing dopaminergic drugs and pituitary glands were incubated in this medium, alone or with pimozide. As indicated by the prolactin released by the pituitary glands, the hypothalami appeared to secrete prolactin-releasing activity in a time-related fashion. Dopaminergic activity was also present in the hypothalami, since pimozide enhanced the prolactin-releasing activity of the medium. Dopamine apparently inhibited and pimozide stimulated the secretion of releasing activity from the hypothalamus. These results suggest that dopamine inhibits release of prolactin directly from the pituitary gland only when prolactin secretion is high. The hypothalamus secretes at least two factors regulating prolactin secretion, a prolactin-releasing factor and a dopaminergic prolactin-inhibiting factor. Dopamine may also play an inhibitory role in the regulation of secretion of the prolactin-releasing factor.

J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 63–69
Progesterone, androstenedione and oestradiol content of theca and granulosa tissues of the four largest ovarian follicles during the ovulatory cycle of the hen (Gallus domesticus)
Authors: Etches R. J. , Duke C. E.
Published: December 2008

The progesterone, androstenedione and oestradiol contents of the theca and granulosa tissues of the four largest follicles in the ovarian hierarchy of the hen were determined. The granulosa tissue contained significantly (P < 0·05) more progesterone and less androstenedione and oestradiol than the theca tissue. The content of progesterone was greatest in the granulosa tissue of the first three follicles in the hierarchy and in each of these follicles there was a peak in progesterone content of the granulosa 4 h before ovulation. The theca of the second, third and fourth follicles and the granulosa of the third and fourth follicles contained significantly (P < 0·05) more androstenedione than either tissue in the largest follicle. The content of androstenedione was maximal approximately 8 h before ovulation in both tissues of the second and third follicles. The content of oestradiol in the granulosa did not vary as follicles changed position within the hierarchy or during the ovulatory cycle. The oestradiol content of the theca tissue remained constant during the third and fourth positions in the hierarchy and declined throughout the second and first positions until a nadir was observed approximately 20 h before ovulation.

It was concluded that the synthesis of androstenedione and oestradiol ceases in both follicular tissues after the follicle is exposed to the penultimate preovulatory surge of LH and that progesterone production is stimulated in the granulosa of the three largest follicles at the time of the preovulatory release of LH.

J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 71–76
Presence of a neurophysin-like precursor in the green turtle (Chelonia mydas)
Authors: Licht P. , Pickering B. T. , Papkoff H. , Pearson A. , Bona-Gallo A.
Published: December 2008

A glycoprotein of neurohypophysial origin was found to have cofractionated with FSH prepared from pituitary glands of the green turtle, Chelonia mydas. Antiserum raised against this preparation contained high antibody titres and affinity for the neurohypophysial component and allowed development of a specific radioimmunoassay to monitor its purification and distribution in the brain. Immunocytochemistry revealed that the glycoprotein was concentrated in the pars nervosa and associated nerve tracts passing through the median eminence to the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei; similar distributions were observed in turtles and rats. The antiserum to the turtle material bound radiolabelled rat vasopressin (VP)-neurophysin and precipitated precursors of this neurophysin, but it did not cross-react with rat oxytocin-neurophysin. An amino-terminal alanine was also consistent with the structure of rat VP-neurophysin, but the turtle molecule was larger than the corresponding rat molecule. Limited tryptic digests of the turtle glycoprotein contained two components, one of which bound to lysine VP.

Both components contained carbohydrate, but only the one which bound to VP cross-reacted in a radioimmunoassay for rat VP-neurophysin. The apparent surge in plasma immuno-FSH at the time of oviposition previously described in the turtle probably represented release of a neurophysin-like 'carrier' molecule associated with secretion of the neurohypophysial hormone (e.g. arginine vasotocin; AVT) responsible for oviduct contractility. These data suggest that the neurohypophysial glycoprotein represents a partially processed AVT precursor and provide the first biochemical evidence of a mammalian-like biosynthetic pathway for neurohypophysial hormones in a non-mammalian species.

J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 97–106
Lack of binding of serum glycoprotein hormone α subunit to Concanavalin A–Sepharose reflects increased branching of the oligosaccharide chains
Authors: Chapman A. J. , Gallagher J. T. , Beardwell C. G. , Shalet S. M.
Published: December 2008

The lectin-binding properties of serum α subunit were studied by lectin affinity chromatography. Normal individuals and most patients with pituitary tumours produced α subunit which bound specifically to Concanavalin A–Sepharose (Con A). Some patients with pituitary tumours produced both Con A-reactive α subunit and α subunit which did not bind to Con A. Concanavalin A–Sepharose-binding α subunit from all sources bound strongly to Ricinus communis agglutinin–Sepharose after treatment with neuraminidase. Serum α subunit from those patients with pituitary tumours, which did not bind to Con A, bound to wheat germ agglutinin–Sepharose, exhibiting both weakly binding and strongly binding forms. Serum α subunit from both patients and controls, which did bind to Con A, showed only weak affinity for wheat germ agglutinin–Sepharose. Neither the low affinity nor the high affinity of serum α subunit from any source for wheat germ agglutinin–Sepharose was affected by neuraminidase. These findings show that (a) the predominant pattern of glycosylation of serum α subunit from normal controls is a Con A-reactive, biantennate complex oligosaccharide and (b) that the structural alteration which results in serum α subunit which does not bind to Con A in some patients with pituitary tumours is not an absence of carbohydrate, rather the α subunit contains highly branched, either complex or hybrid oligosaccharides.

J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 111–116
Variation in the core and branch carbohydrate sequences of serum glycoprotein hormone α subunit as determined by lectin affinity chromatography
Authors: Chapman A. J. , Gallagher J. T. , Beardwell C. G. , Shalet S. M.
Published: December 2008

Serum α subunits from patients with pituitary tumours and from normal controls were studied for their ability to bind to Lens culinaris agglutinin–Sepharose (LCA), l-phytohaemagglutinin–agarose (l-PHA) and soybean agglutinin–Sepharose (SBA). Serum α subunits from normal controls which had previously been shown to bind to Concanavalin A–Sepharose (Con A) were not retained by LCA. In contrast, Con A-reactive α subunits from patients with pituitary tumours bound specifically to LCA. Non-Con A-reactive α subunits from patients with pituitary tumours were also largely not bound to LCA, but were retained by l-PHA. No α subunits from any source bound to SBA.

These results indicate that the structural alterations resulting in non-Con A-reactive serum α subunits include highly branched complex oligosaccharides in addition to the hybrid-type glycans previously described. The increased branching appears to be associated with fucosylation in the core region of the oligosaccharides. Serum α subunit from any source appears to be devoid of terminal N-acetylgalactosamine residues. These structural modifications may be related to the variable biological activity of α subunit which has been reported.

J. Endocr. (1984) 103, 117–122