Increase in follicle stimulating hormone content occurs in cultured human fetal pituitary cells exposed to gonadotropin-releasing hormone

Abstract

To investigate the mechanisms by which GnRH regulates FSH production in the human fetus, dispersed pituitary cells from second trimester human fetuses were cultured on surface-modified plates. Exposure of cells to GnRH [(10 −8 and 10 −7 mol/L), study I] or [D-Ala 6]des-Gly 10-GnRH ethylamide (DALA) [(10 −11 to 10 −7 mol/L), study II] for 48 h resulted in an elevation of total FSH which correlated with an increase in releasable, but not nonreleasable, FSH. When pituitary cells were incubated for 24, 48 and 72 h with and without 10 −8 mol/L GnRH (study III), total FSH was significantly increased in cells cultured for 48–72 h without GnRH compared to cells lysed at the beginning of the incubation (p < 0.001). At all intervals, GnRH significantly enhanced total FSH compared to respective controls (p < 0.05).