Male FSH Levels Research Articles

Relationship between inhibin B, puberty, and secondary sex characteristics in childhood cancer survivors.

e22018 Background: Prognosis in childhood cancer improved with intensive tx regimens, improved survival,concerns&issues related to QOL become crucial point of interest. Methods: Gonadal functions were studied in 33M,22F survivors of childhood cancers treated w gonadotoxic chemotherapy,with HL,NHL, ALL,Osteosarcoma,Rhabdomyosarcoma. All event-free survivors for > 1year, postpubertal, > 15 years of age at the time of study, 8 pts received abdominal RT,9 pts had prophylactic cranial RT. Patients answered a questionnaire concerning sexual functions,underwent a comprehensive physical examination, clinical evaluation of pubertal development, secondary sex characteristics,menstrual history, measurement of FSH, LH,sex steroids, inhibinB, compared w age-matched controls. Results: All patients had normal pubertal development for age,Females showed no significant differences in secondary sex characteristics, than controls &the progression of puberty, adult-type hair growth in males were significantly late (P:0.002) than controls, low levels of testosterone were found in all.Pubertal development normal in female patients, w elevated FSH than control.(P:0.025)FSH levels in males didn't differ,inhibinB levels were significantly lower than control.(P:0.022).We couldn't demonstrate significant association with age at dx,time elapsed after tx,dx type,gonadotoxic agent.. Conclusions: Our study showed tx of childhood cancer could lead to gonadal toxicity.Our study investigating relationship between puberty,secondary sex characteristics,inhibinB in early postpubertal stage. Findings suggest that, even in the presence of gonadal toxicity, in females, secondary sex characteristics&puberty weren't affected.Inhibin B as a marker for gonadal toxicity is not superior to FSH. In fact that, we found a decrease in InhibinB as the only marker of gonadal dysfunction in males.With normal pubertal development &FSH levels in postpubertal males,low detection of inhibinB can be used as an early,sensitive marker for gonadal toxicity.Late adult-type hair growth with low testosterone demonstrating chemotherapy-induced testicular damage. Clinical trial information: BAP-2734.

Effect of embryonic 19-nortestosterone treatment and surgical bursectomy on plasma concentrations of reproductive hormones, on inhibin content in adrenals and gonads and on the histological appearance of the gonads in the young chicken

Four-day-old chick embryos were hormonally treated with 19-nortestosterone in order to inhibit bursa development. At days 1, 4, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 36 of age, plasma, adrenals, and gonads from intact and hormonal treated chicks were collected. In embryonic nortestosterone treated males the appearance of a left ‘ ovotestis-like’ gonad was observed. The occurrence of this ovotestis-like left gonad in the 19-nortestosterone treated male is probably a secondary effect of the in ovo treatment since surgically bursectomised chicks did not show the testicular morphology and histological changes as observed in 19-nortestosterone treated chicks. Additionally, both male and female hormonally or surgically treated chicks showed relatively enlarged adrenal glands. Hormonal bursectomy affected organ inhibin contents and plasma inhibin, testosterone, and FSH levels in males. Male hormonal treated chicks showed lower levels of plasma inhibin ( p=0.0001), testosterone ( p=0.01), and FSH ( p=0.004), and a lower total testes inhibin content ( p=0.0003) compared to intact chicks. However, none of these were significantly different between female intact and hormonal treated chicks, again indicating that the observed hormonal changes in males are not the result of the disappearance of the bursa but of the hormonal 19-NT treatment. The total adrenal inhibin content as well as the adrenal inhibin concentration were significantly higher in hormonally treated chicks than in intact chicks ( p=0.0001), regardless of the sex.

Changes in Serum Immunoreactive Inhibin and Follicle-Stimulating Hormone during Gonadal Development in Male and Female Rats1

We have measured serum and ovarian immunoreactive inhibin alpha (irI alpha) and serum FSH in fetal and neonatal rats from 20 days of gestation until 40 days of age. For animals aged 10 days or older, serum measurements were made on intact and gonadectomized animals. Serum irI alpha was detectable in intact male and female rats at all ages studied. In females, irI alpha levels were low until Day 5 and then increased steadily to peak at Day 25. Thereafter they declined until Day 35 to reach levels typical of adult females. There was a significant decrease in irI alpha levels 24 h after ovariectomy at all ages. Serum FSH levels in females were low until Day 7, then increased rapidly to plateau from Days 10-15. The levels then declined until Day 25 and were generally unchanged after that time. There was a significant increase in FSH 24 h after ovariectomy in rats aged 20 days and older, and in younger rats by 48 h after ovariectomy. In male rats, serum irI alpha levels were significantly higher than females until Day 7. The levels increased at Day 7 and then remained relatively constant until Day 20, after which they declined to reach typical adult male levels. Serum irI alpha levels were significantly lower in males than females from Days 25-40. There was a significant decrease in serum irI alpha 24 h after castration at all ages studied. Serum FSH levels in males were low until Day 20, increased at Day 25, and thereafter remained relatively unchanged.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effects of a gonadotrophin-releasing hormone antagonist on gonadotrophin secretion and gonadal development in neonatal pigs

Male (N = 8) and female (N = 8) pigs were assigned to receive saline or a potent GnRH antagonist ([Ac-D2Nal1,D4-Cl-Phe2,D-Trp3,D-Arg6, D-Ala10]- GnRH*HOAc; 1 mg/kg body weight) at 14 days of age. The GnRH antagonist caused LH to decline (P less than 0.01) from 1.7 ng/ml at 0 h to less than 0.5 ng/ml during 4-32 h in males and females. Concentrations of FSH in gilts declined slowly from 75 +/- 8 to 56 +/- 5 ng/ml (P less than 0.05) at 32 h. In males FSH was low (5.7 +/- 0.5 ng/ml) at 0 h and did not change significantly. To observe the effect of long-term treatment with GnRH antagonist, 10 male and 10 female pigs, 3 days of age, were treated with saline or 1 mg GnRH antagonist per kg body weight every 36 h for 21 days. Concentrations of LH were reduced (P less than 0.01) to 0.2-0.4 ng/ml throughout the experimental period in male and female piglets treated with GnRH antagonist. Plasma FSH increased in control females, but remained suppressed (P less than 0.001) in females treated with GnRH antagonist. Treatment with the GnRH antagonist suppressed FSH levels in males on Days 8 and 16 (P less than 0.05), but not on Day 24. Treatment of females with the GnRH antagonist did not influence (P greater than 0.10) oestradiol-17 beta concentrations. Administration of GnRH antagonist to males suppressed testosterone and oestradiol-17 beta values (P less than 0.01) and reduced testicular weight (P less than 0.01).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The role of gonadal steroids in feedback regulation of gonadotropin secretion at different stages of primate development.

The serum gonadotropin response to castration was assessed in 8 foetal, 2 neonatal, 30 juvenile, and 2 adult rhesus monkeys (M. mulatta). In the 30 castrated juvenile monkeys and 8 sham-operated controls, concentrations of oestrone, oestradiol, androstenedione, dihydrotestosterone, testosterone and 17OH-progesterone were measured in 10 ml serum pools before, one month after, and one year after the surgical procedure. Castration during foetal life (83-137 days gestation) was followed within 48-72 h by a significant rise in serum FSH levels in males, but had no effect on the already high levels in females. Similarly, castration of males during the first post-natal month raised serum FSH and LH into the adult castrate range; however, after 3 months of age serum gonadotropin levels again declined to the normal juvenile range in spite of the open feedback loop. Orchiectomy of prepubertal juvenile monkeys (age 3 month-2 8/12 years) had no immediate effect on serum gonadotropins, but was followed by a delayed rise in FSH (at age 2 3/12-4 3/12 years) and LH (at age 2 7/12-4 4/12 years) to adult castrate levels. Orchiectomy of older prepubertal (by serum testosterone) or adult males resulted within a few days in a progressive and sustained rise in serum FSH and a more gradual rise in LH. Prepubertal gonadotropin regulation appeared to be sexually dimorphic, since ovariectomy in juvenile females (age 3 months-1 5/12 years) was followed by generally elevated, if somewhat erratic, serum FSH values, with a secondary rise in both FSH and LH levels at 2-2 1/12 years. In both sexes, prepubertal castration caused a significant and sustained decline in serum concentrations of oestradiol; castrated males also showed a decline in serum testosterone levels. Although prepubertal castration also caused in both sexes a slight decline in serum oestrone, and ovariectomy a decline in serum androstenedione and dihydrotestosterone, these effects were not sustained one year later, and values were not significantly different from sham-operated controls. Taken together, these data lend support to a model of primate sexual maturation in which the primary regulator of gonadotropin secretion in both sexes during the prolonged juvenile phase is central inhibition of the hypothalamic GnRH regulator. However, during foetal and neonatal life, and again following the onset of puberty, the major modulator of gonadotropin secretion becomes sex steroid-mediated feedback inhibition.

The relationship between germinal cells and serum FSH levels in males with infertility.

ABSTRACT The relationship between specific types of germinal cells in testicular biopsy specimens and serum FSH levels has been investigated in 49 men with infertility. Testicular biopsies were analysed quantitatively by counting the germinal cells present in cross-sections of 25 different seminiferous tubules. These quantitative histological studies demonstrated that a significant correlation exists between serum FSH levels and the mean number of spermatogonia, primary spermatocytes, early and late spermatids per tubule when each group is taken singly. No correlation was evident between the serum FSH level and the mean number of Sertoli cells. The results indicate that the most significant correlation obtained was between the mean number of spermatogonia and serum FSH levels and suggests that correlations obtained between the more mature germinal cells and FSH levels may result from the former relationship.