Ovarian and hormonal responses to follicular phase administration of investigational metastin/kisspeptin analog, TAK-683, in goats.

This study evaluated the effects of follicular phase administration of TAK-683, an investigational metastin/kisspeptin analog, on follicular growth, ovulation, luteal function and reproductive hormones in goats. After confirmation of ovulation by transrectal ultrasonography (Day 0), PGF2α (2 mg/head of dinoprost) was administered intramuscularly on Day 10 to induce luteal regression. At 12 h after PGF2α administration, intravenous administration of vehicle or 35 nmol (50 µg)/head of TAK-683 was performed in control (n = 4) and treatment (n = 4) groups, respectively. Blood samples were collected at 6-h intervals for 96 h and then daily until the detection of subsequent ovulation (second ovulation). After the second ovulation, ultrasound examinations and blood sampling were performed every other day or daily until the subsequent ovulation (third ovulation). Mean concentrations of LH and FSH in the treatment group were significantly higher 6 h after TAK-683 treatment than those in the control group (12.0 ± 10.7 vs 1.0 ± 0.7 ng/ml for LH, 47.5 ± 28.2 vs 15.1 ± 3.4 ng/ml for FSH, p < 0.05), whereas mean concentrations of oestradiol in the treatment group decreased immediately after treatment (p < 0.05) as compared with the control group. Ovulation tended to be delayed (n = 2) or occurred early (n = 1) in the treatment group as compared with the control group. For the second ovulation, ovulatory follicles in the treatment group were significantly smaller in maximal diameter than in the control group (3.8 ± 0.5 vs 5.4 ± 0.2 mm, p < 0.05, n = 3). Administration of TAK-683 in the follicular phase stimulates gonadotropin secretion and may have resulted in ovulation of premature follicles in goats.

Neurokinin 3 receptor-selective agonist, senktide, decreases core temperature in Japanese Black cattle.

Heat stress disrupts reproductive function in cattle. In summer, high ambient temperature and humidity elevate core body temperature, which is considered to be detrimental to reproductive abilities in cattle. Neurokinin B (NKB) is a factor that generates pulsatile GnRH and subsequent LH secretion in mammals. Recent studies have reported that NKB-neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) signaling is associated with heat-defense responses in rodents. The present study aimed to clarify the role of NKB-NK3R signaling in thermoregulation in cattle. We examined the effects of an NK3R-selective agonist, senktide, on vaginal temperature as an indicator of core body temperature in winter and summer. In both seasons, continuous infusion of senktide for 4 h immediately decreased vaginal temperature, and the mean temperature change in the senktide-treated group was significantly lower than that of both vehicle- and GnRH-treated groups. Administration of GnRH induced LH elevation, but there was no significant difference in vaginal temperature change between GnRH- and vehicle-treated groups. Moreover, we investigated the effects of senktide on ovarian temperature. Senktide treatment seemed to suppress the increase in ovarian temperature from 2 h after the beginning of administration, although the difference between groups was not statistically significant. Taken together, these results suggest that senktide infusion caused a decline in the vaginal temperature of cattle, in both winter and summer seasons, and this effect was not due to the gonadotropin-releasing action of senktide. These findings provide new therapeutic options for senktide to support both heat-defense responses and GnRH/LH pulse generation.

Peripheral administration of κ-opioid receptor antagonist stimulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone pulse generator activity in ovariectomized, estrogen-treated female goats.

Pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) secretion is indispensable for reproduction in mammals. Kisspeptin neurons in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC), referred to as KNDy neurons because of the coexpression of neurokinin B and dynorphin A, are considered as components of the GnRH pulse generator that produces rhythmic GnRH secretion. The present study aimed to investigate if peripheral administration of PF-4455242, a κ-opioid receptor (KOR, a dynorphin A receptor) antagonist, facilitates pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion and GnRH pulse generator activity in estrogen-treated ovariectomized Shiba goats to determine the possibility of using KOR antagonists to artificially control ovarian activities. PF-4455242 was intravenously infused for 4 h (1 or 10 µmol/kg body weight/4 h) or as a single subcutaneous injection (1 or 10 µmol/kg body weight). In a separate experiment, the same KOR antagonist (10 µmol/kg body weight/4 h) was intravenously infused during the recording of multiple unit activity (MUA) in the ARC that reflects the activity of the GnRH pulse generator to test the effects of KOR antagonist administration on GnRH pulse generator activity. Intravenous infusion and single subcutaneous injection of the KOR antagonist significantly increased the frequency of LH pulses compared with controls. Intravenous infusion of KOR antagonist also significantly increased the frequency of episodic bursts in the MUA. The present study demonstrates that peripherally administered KOR antagonist stimulates pulsatile LH secretion by acting on the GnRH pulse generator, and peripheral administration of PF-4455242 can be used to facilitate pulsatile LH secretion, which in turn facilitates ovarian activities in farm animals.

Exposure to ram wool stimulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone pulse generator activity in the female goat.

In the sheep and goat, exposure of anestrous females to a conspecific male odor enhances reproductive activity. Interestingly, a previous report indicated that male goat hair stimulated pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in the ewe. In the present study, we addressed whether ram wool affects the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator activity in the female goat. Five ovariectomized (OVX) goats were chronically implanted with recording electrodes in the mediobasal hypothalamus, and manifestations of the GnRH pulse generator were monitored as characteristic increases in multiple-unit activity (MUA volleys). Wool or hair samples were collected from a mature ram, ewe and male goat, and their effects on the MUA volley were examined. The exposure to ram wool induced an MUA volley within 1 min in all five OVX goats, as did the exposure to male goat hair. The ewe wool had no effect on the timing of an MUA volley occurrence. An invariable association of MUA volleys with LH pulses in the peripheral circulation was also confirmed in two OVX goats exposed to ram wool. The present results clearly indicate that exposure to ram wool stimulates pulsatile GnRH/LH release in the female goat. Since exposure to male goat hair enhances pulsatile LH secretion in the ewe, it is likely that very similar, if not identical, molecules are contained in the male-effect pheromone in the sheep and goat.

Involvement of CPI-17 downregulation in the dysmotility of the colon from dextran sodium sulphate-induced experimental colitis in a mouse model.

The mechanism of gastrointestinal dysmotility in inflammatory bowel disease has not been clarified. In this study, we examined the mechanism involved in the inflamed distal colon isolated from a mouse model of dextran sodium sulphate-induced ulcerative colitis (DSS-treated mouse). Although substance P-induced contraction was not changed, carbachol-induced contraction was reduced in the DSS-treated mouse colon. Pre-incubation with the NO synthase inhibitor N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) or the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin did not reverse the carbachol-induced contraction in the DSS-treated mouse colon. In semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction experiments and Western blot analysis, muscarinic M3 receptor expressions were not changed. The Ca2+ -sensitization of contractile elements induced by carbachol with GTP or GTPgammaS was reduced in the beta-escin-permeabilized DSS-treated mouse colon. Although the expression of proteins such as rhoA, ROCK1, ROCK2 or MYPT1 in smooth muscles was not changed, the expression of CPI-17, the functional protein involved in smooth muscle Ca2+ -sensitization, was significantly decreased in the DSS-treated mouse colon. These results suggest that the suppression of carbachol-induced contraction in mice with colitis is attributable at least partially to the increased activity of myosin phosphatase following the downregulation of CPI-17.

The luteinising hormone surge-generating system is functional in male goats as in females: involvement of kisspeptin neurones in the medial preoptic area.

A luteinising hormone (LH) surge is fundamental to the induction of ovulation in mammalian females. The administration of a preovulatory level of oestrogen evokes an LH surge in ovariectomised females, whereas the response to oestrogen in castrated males differs among species; namely, the LH surge-generating system is sexually differentiated in some species (e.g. rodents and sheep) but not in others (e.g. primates). In the present study, we aimed to determine whether there is a functional LH surge-generating system in male goats, and whether hypothalamic kisspeptin neurones in male goats are involved in the regulation of surge-like LH secretion. By i.v. infusion of oestradiol (E2; 6 µg/h) for 16 h, a surge-like LH increase occurred in both castrated male and ovariectomised female goats, although the mean peak LH concentration was lower and the mean peak of the LH surge was later in males compared to females. Dual staining with KISS1 in situ hybridisation and c-Fos immunohistochemistry revealed that E2 treatment significantly increased c-Fos expression in the medial preoptic area (mPOA) KISS1 cells in castrated males, as well as ovariectomised females. By contrast, dual-labelled cells were scarcely detected in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) after E2 treatment in both sexes. These data suggest that kisspeptin neurones in the mPOA, but not those in the ARC, are involved in the induction of surge-like LH secretion in both male and female goats. In summary, our data show that the mechanism that initiates the LH surge in response to oestrogen, the mPOA kisspeptin neurones, is functional in male goats. Thus, sexual differentiation of the LH surge-generating system would not be applicable to goats.

The LHRH pulse generator: a mediobasal hypothalamic location.

The location and mechanism of LHRH pulse generator are discussed based on our series of experiments. Suckling stimulus is a novel stimulus that inhibits LH pulses without any cooperation from ovarian steroids, unlike other stimuli such as stress, photoperiod etc. It is directly involved in suppressing the activity of the LHRH pulse generator. The information from teats suckled by pups or babies is conveyed dorsally to the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH), where the LHRH pulse generator may be located. Experiments using various types of deafferentation and fetal brain tissue transplantation confirmed that the LHRH pulse generator is located in the MBH and suggested that LHRH pulse generator consists of nonLHRH neurons. Endogenous excitatory amino acid is one of the possible neurotransmitters that regulate LHRH release at the nerve terminal in ME.

Central, but not peripheral, glucose-sensing mechanisms mediate glucoprivic suppression of pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion in the sheep.

Changes in glucose availability are proposed to modulate pulsatile GnRH secretion, and at least two anatomical sites, the liver and hindbrain, may serve as glucose sensors. The present study determined the relative importance of these putative glucose-sensing areas in regulating pulsatile LH secretion in the sheep. Our approach was to administer the antimetabolic glucose analog, 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG) into either the hepatic portal vein or the fourth ventricle in gonadectomized females in which LH pulse frequency was high. In the first study, a catheter was placed in the ileocolic vein to determine the effects of local injection of 2DG into the hepatic portal system on the release of LH. After monitoring the pattern of LH secretion for 4 h, 2DG (250 mg/kg) was infused (500 microl/min) into the liver for 2 h. For comparison, animals were also given the same dose of 2DG into a jugular vein for 2 h. Administration of 2DG into either the hepatic portal or jugular vein reduced LH pulse frequency to the same extent. Infusion of the lower dose (50 mg/kg) locally into the hepatic portal vein did not affect plasma LH profiles. Collectively, these results are interpreted to indicate that the liver does not contain special glucose-sensing mechanisms for the glucoprivic suppression of LH pulses. In the second study, 2DG (5 mg/kg) was infused (50 l/min) for 30 min into the fourth ventricle or lateral ventricle. During the subsequent 4-h sampling period, pulsatile LH secretion was significantly suppressed, but there was no significant difference in LH pulse frequency between sites of infusion. Peripheral 2DG concentrations were not detectable after either fourth or lateral ventricle infusions, indicating that the 2DG had acted centrally to suppress LH pulses. Plasma cortisol concentrations increased more in animals infused with 2DG into the fourth ventricle than in those infused into the lateral ventricle, suggesting that 2DG infused into lateral ventricle is transported caudally into the fourth ventricle and acts within the area surrounding the fourth ventricle. Overall, these findings suggest that an important glucose-sensing mechanism is located circumventricularly in the fourth ventricle. Moreover, the liver does not appear to play an important role in detecting glucoprivic action of 2DG to suppress pulsatile LH secretion.

Sex hormones enhance the impact of male sensory cues on both primary and association cortical components of visual and olfactory processing pathways as well as in limbic and hypothalamic regions in female sheep.

Differential activation of neural substrates was investigated in female sheep exposed to a male when they were in oestrus, and sexually receptive and attracted to males, as opposed to anoestrus when they were not. Changes in neuronal activation were visualized in ovariectomized, hormone-treated ewes by quantifying changes in cellular expression of c-fos messenger RNA by in situ hybridization histochemistry. Results showed that, while oestrus induction had no significant effects on c-fos expression per se, a 5-min exposure to a male significantly increased it in a number of primary and association cortical regions (the mitral and granule cell layers of the olfactory bulb, visual, somatosensory, orbitofrontal, piriform, cingulate and temporal cortices), the limbic system (CA1 region of the hippocampus, subiculum, lateral septum, lateral and basolateral amygdala, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis) and hypothalamus (mediobasal hypothalamus, medial preoptic area and paraventricular nucleus) as well as the nucleus accumbens and mediodorsal thalamus. Intromissions did not contribute significantly to these c-fos changes however. In anoestrus females, exposure to a male only produced a small significant increase in c-fos messenger RNA expression in the temporal cortex inspite of receiving similar amounts of visual and olfactory cues from him and a number of mating attempts. These results clearly demonstrate that changes in sexual motivation markedly alter the neural processing of sensory cues from males. They also show that the hormonal induction of sexual attraction to males cues and the resultant stimulation of sexual behaviour is due not only to altered responsiveness of oestrogen-sensitive brain regions involved in mediating behavioural responses towards the male, but also to changes in primary and secondary/tertiary somatosensory, olfactory and visual processing regions which relay sensory information to them.

Phylogenetic characterization of a new HTLV type 1 from the Ainu in Japan.

Human T cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is endemic among three ethnically distinguishable populations in Japan (the Ainu, Ryukyuans, and Wajin), which, together, account for most of the population in Japan. While much is known about the phylogeny of the Ryukyuan and Wajin strains of HTLV-1, only one Ainu strain has been phylogenetically analyzed. We report here a new HTLV-1 strain from the Ainu. The new isolate (U8306), as well as the previously reported isolate, are members of the Cosmopolitan group and further belong to the Transcontinental subgroup. This subgroup also predominates among the Ryukyuans, whereas the Japanese subgroup is the major subgroup among the Wajin. The predominance of subgroup A in the Ainu and Ryukyuans suggests that they share a common origin of HTLV-1.

The paraventricular nucleus and corticotrophin-releasing hormone are not critical in suppressing pulsatile LH secretion in ovariectomized lactating rats.

Various types of hypothalamic roof deafferentation (RD) (i.e. large anterior (LARD), large posterior (LPRD), small anterior (SARD) or middle (MRD)), electrolytic lesions of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) or intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of alpha-helical corticotrophin-releasing factor(9-41) (alpha-helical CRF(9-41)) were performed in ovariectomized lactating rats in order to determine the afferent pathway of the suckling stimulus and whether the PVN and corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) are involved in suppressing pulsatile LH secretion during lactation. Animals were ovariectomized on day 2 of lactation (day 0 = the day of parturition). Deafferentations and electrolytic lesions were made on day 7. On the following day, blood samples were taken via an indwelling atrial cannula every 6 min for 3 h. Pulsatile LH secretion with high frequency and amplitude was present in rats with LARD or LPRD despite the suckling. In rats with MRD, LH pulses with a small amplitude were observed when the cut was on or under the ventral margin of the PVN, but there were few LH pulses when the cut passed through the PVN. Electrolytic lesioning of the PVN, however, did not affect the suppression of pulsatile LH secretion during lactation. In addition, i.c.v. injection of alpha-helical CRF(9-41) (26.1 nmol/10 microliters) into the third ventricle on day 8 of lactation did not reverse the suppression of LH secretion by the suckling stimulus. These results suggest that the pathway associated with this inhibition may be rather diffuse and that the PVN region and CRH are not critical in conveying the inhibitory inputs of the suckling stimulus.

Involvement of ovarian steroids and endogenous opioids in the fasting-induced suppression of pulsatile LH release in ovariectomized rats.

The participation of the ovarian steroids and opioid peptides in the suppression of pulsatile LH release during acute fasting was examined in rats. Ovariectomized rats bearing silicone elastomer implants of oestradiol and/or progesterone were fasted for 48 h and subsequently blood samples were taken every 6 min for 3 h. Pulsatile LH release was suppressed after 48 h of fasting in the ovariectomized rats implanted with oestradiol but not in the oil-implanted controls. This suppression was enhanced after the administration of progesterone together with oestradiol. In a second experiment, ovariectomized rats bearing implants of oestradiol or oil were fasted for 48 h and injected s.c. (2.5 mg/kg body weight) with an opioid antagonist, naloxone hydrochloride, immediately before blood sampling. In the fasted oestradiol-treated ovariectomized rats, naloxone was able to prevent the suppression of pulsatile LH release. In the absence of oestradiol, however, naloxone was without effect on LH release in either the fasted or unfasted animals. These experiments indicate that the suppression of pulsatile LH release after 48 h of fasting is dependent upon oestradiol and that endogenous opioids are involved in the suppression.

Changes in the pulsatile secretion of LH after the removal of and subsequent resuckling by pups in ovariectomized lactating rats.

Changes in the pulsatile secretion of LH after removal of pups and subsequent resuckling were examined in ovariectomized lactating rats, and the change after removal of pups was compared with that after the removal of ovaries in cyclic female rats. The day of parturition was designated day 0 of lactation. All lactating rats were ovariectomized on day 2 of lactation. They were deprived of their pups for 6, 12, 18, 24 or 45 h before blood sampling on day 8 of lactation, or were resuckled by their pups for 1, 4, 7 or 12 h before blood collection after separation from pups for 24 h. Cyclic female rats were ovariectomized on the day of dioestrus and blood samples were taken 12, 18, 24 or 48 h or 6 days after ovariectomy. Typical LH pulses appeared in some animals from 12 h after the removal of pups. The mean LH level and the frequency and amplitude of LH pulses gradually increased after removal of pups, until after 45 h of separation the frequency reached the high level observed 6 days after ovariectomy in cyclic rats. The subsequent resuckling by pups after a 24-h separation decreased these three parameters of LH pulses rapidly. In contrast, the frequency of LH pulses was unchanged after ovariectomy in cyclic rats, although the mean LH level and the amplitude of LH pulses increased. These results suggest that the suckling stimulus suppresses pulsatile LH secretion in a different manner from that of ovarian steroids.

Increased body temperature, cortisol secretion, and hypothalamic expression of c-fos, corticotrophin releasing hormone and interleukin-1 beta mRNAs, following central administration of interleukin-1 beta in the sheep.

There is evidence to indicate that cytokines of the interleukin series act within the brain to influence physiological responses to pathological states or stressful events. This investigation examined the effects of intracerebroventricular (lateral ventricle) injection of human recombinant interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) on body temperature, hormone (catecholamine, cortisol, prolactin, growth hormone) release and hypothalamic expression of c-fos, corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH), vasopressin (AVP) and IL-1 beta mRNAs in the sheep. A preliminary study showed that central administration of 10 micrograms IL-1 beta significantly (P < 0.05) increased body temperature (by 1.2 degrees C) over a 140 min period but did not affect catecholamine secretion. A second experiment using graded doses (100 ng, 1 microgram, 10 micrograms) of IL-1 beta indicated that only the highest dose significantly (P < 0.01) increased cortisol concentrations and that none of the treatments altered the secretion of prolactin or growth hormone. In a third study, changes in gene expression in the hypothalamus were examined using in situ hybridization histochemistry following treatment with 10 micrograms IL-1 beta. The results showed that IL-1 beta increased c-fos mRNA in the paraventricular (PVN, P < 0.05) and supraoptic (SON, P < 0.05) nuclei, CRH mRNA in the PVN (P < 0.01) and IL-1 beta mRNA in the PVN (P < 0.05). There was, however, no change in AVP mRNA in either the PVN or the SON.

Effects of various types of hypothalamic deafferentation on luteinizing hormone pulses in ovariectomized rats.

Abstract The pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in chronically ovariectomized rats bearing various types of hypothalamic deafferentation was examined. Ovariectomized rats were subjected to complete, anterolateral or anterior hypothalamic deafferentation and bled every 6 min for 3 h through an indwelling atrial cannula 5 days after the brain surgery. Another group of ovariectomized animals was subjected to posterior-anterior hypothalamic deafferentation (PAD), which cut off the anterior part of the arcuate nucleus from the mediobasal hypothalamus, and bled 1, 3 or 5 weeks after the deafferentation. Coronal sections of the brain were immunostained with anti-LH-releasing hormone (LHRH) serum. The pulsatile LH secretion was observed in rats bearing anterior, anterolateral or complete hypothalamic deafferentation and these types of deafferentation did not affect the frequency of LH pulses. The mean LH level during the 3-h sampling period and the amplitude of LH pulses decreased as the incision extended postero-laterally. Rats bearing PAD showed an irregular fluctuating pattern in plasma LH concentration 1 week after PAD. Parameters of LH pulses were restored with time after PAD. This suggests that the system generating LHRH pulses severed by PAD had been reorganized. LHRH-immunopositive neuronal fibres were found in the external layer of the median eminence in the rats bearing any type of deafferentation. The present results suggest that the frequency of LH pulses could be controlled by the LHRH pulse generator, which consists of non-LHRH neurons and is located in the mediobasal hypothalamus.

Effect of hypothalamic deafferentation on the pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone in ovariectomized lactating rats*.

Abstract The pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in ovariectomized lactating rats bearing complete (CD), anterior (AD), anterolateral (ALD), posterior (PD), or roof (RD) deafferentation of the hypothalamus was determined. All lactating rats were ovariectomized on Day 2 of lactation (Day 0, day of parturition). The deafferentation of nerve fibres to the mediobasal hypothalamus was performed on Day 6 or 7 of lactation. Twenty-four h after the surgery, blood samples were taken through the indwelling atrial catheter every 6 min for 3 h. Plasma concentrations of LH and prolactin (PRL) were measured by radioimmunoassay. The loss of LH pulses associated with lactation was still apparent following AD, PD and sham-deafferentation (SD); pulsatile LH secretion was, however, present in rats with CD, ALD and RD despite continued suckling. The only significant difference in plasma PRL concentrations among the various groups was a reduction in the PRL level in rats with RD in comparison to those with SD. We conclude that the neural signal responsible for the inhibition of pulsatile LH release by suckling is conveyed through the dorsal part of the hypothalamus and PRL does not mediate the suppression of LH pulses in mid-lactation.

Central cholecystokinin-octapeptide accelerates the activity of the hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone pulse generator in goats.

To clarify central actions of cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8) on reproduction, effects of an intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of CCK-8 on the activity of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator were examined in ovariectomized (OVX) goats in the absence or presence of oestradiol. Goats were chronically fitted with recording electrodes in the mediobasal hypothalamus, and electrophysiological manifestations of the GnRH pulse generator were monitored as characteristic increases in the multiple-unit activity (MUA volleys). In OVX goats, a bolus i.c.v. injection of as little as 0.01 nmol of CCK-8 induced a MUA volley with a short latency, which resulted in a significant decrease in the post-treatment volley interval compared to that in the saline injected control. Administration of higher doses of CCK-8 (0.1 and 2 nmol) did not further accelerate the occurrence of the MUA volley, but stimulatory effects were observed for a longer period than that after the 0.01 nmol injection. When goats were treated with oestradiol, while a bolus i.c.v. injection of 0.01 nmol CCK-8 had no effect, an injection of 0.1 nmol of the peptide significantly decreased the post-treatment volley interval. On continuous i.c.v. infusion of CCK-8 at 3 nmol per 200 micro l/h for 3 h, MUA volleys with shorter intervals than those in the control were successively induced without any apparent change in basal plasma luteinizing hormone levels in OVX goats. These results demonstrate that central CCK-8 strongly accelerates the activity of the GnRH pulse generator in goats.

The role of oxytocin release in the paraventricular nucleus in the control of maternal behaviour in the sheep.

Oxytocin (OT) release within the brain is thought to play a major role in inducing maternal behaviour in a number of mammalian species but little is known about the sites of release which are important in this respect. We have investigated whether the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) is a site of OT action on maternal behaviour in the sheep. In vivo microdialysis and retrodialysis was used to determine whether OT is released in the region of the PVN during the post-partum induction of maternal behaviour and if its release at this site can stimulate maternal behaviour in non-pregnant animals. In vivo sampling showed that OT concentrations increased significantly in the region of PVN at birth. When OT was retrodialysed bilaterally into the PVN (1 or 10 microM) of multiparous ewes treated with progesterone and oestradiol to stimulate lactation, maternal behaviour was induced in a significant number of animals (1 microM, 6/8 and 10 microM, 5/8) compared with controls (0/8 ewes). Similar infusions of the ring structure of OT, tocinoic acid (TOC-10 microM), also induced maternal behaviour in a significant proportion of animals (5/6 ewes) as did intracerebroventricular (ICV) OT (6/8 ewes) and artificial stimulation of the vagina and cervix (VCS, 8/9 ewes). On the other hand, vasopressin (AVP) 1 microM did not induce maternal behaviour in any ewes and a 10 microM dose only induced it in 2/8 animals. The neurochemical changes accompanying the above treatments were also investigated. Noradrenaline concentrations increased in the PVN after the retrodialysis administration of OT 1 microM and 10 microM, TOC 10 microM and AVP 1 microM, OT ICV and VCS. Dopamine concentrations were also increased by OT 10 microM, TOC 10 microM, AVP 1microM and OT ICV. Aspartate and glutamate concentrations were significantly reduced by retrodialysis infusions of OT 1 microM and AVP 1 and 10 microM but not by any other treatment. Finally, the retrodialysis infusion of OT and TOC, as well as ICV OT, significantly increased plasma OT release whereas AVP infusions did not. These results provide evidence that OT is released in the PVN during parturition and is important for the induction of maternal behaviour. It seems probable that OT release at this site has a positive feedback effect on both parvocellular and magnocellular OT neurons to facilitate co-ordinated OT release both in central OT terminal regions (to facilitate maternal behaviour) and peripherally into the blood (to facilitate uterine contractions/milk let down). The potential functional roles for the actions of OT on monoamine and amino acid transmitter release in the PVN are discussed.

Intracerebroventricular administration of melanin-concentrating hormone suppresses pulsatile luteinizing hormone release in the female rat.

Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) has been reported to be involved in the regulation of feeding behaviour in rats and mice. Because many neuropeptides that influence ingestive behaviour also regulate reproductive function, the present study was designed to determine if central administration of MCH changes pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) in the rats. Wistar-Imamichi strain female rats were ovariectomized and implanted with oestradiol to produce a moderate inhibitory feedback effect on LH release. The effects of i. c.v. injections of MCH on LH release were examined in freely moving animals. Blood samples were collected every 6 min for 3 h through an indwelling cannula. After 1 h of sampling, MCH (0.1, 1 or 10 microg/animal) or vehicle (saline) was injected into the third cerebroventricle. Because MCH is also reported to affect the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which in turn, can influence reproductive function, plasma corticosterone concentrations were determined in the same animals at 30-min intervals during the first and last hours and every 12 min during the second hour of the 3-h sampling period. When expressed as per cent changes, mean plasma LH concentrations after MCH administration were significantly lower in the animals injected with all doses of the peptide compared with vehicle-treated animals; LH pulse frequency was significantly lowered by 1 microg of MCH. Per cent changes in mean plasma corticosterone levels were not significantly affected by MCH administration. These results in oestradiol-treated ovariectomized rats indicate that central MCH is capable of inhibiting pulsatile LH secretion. We have previously shown that 48-h fasting suppresses pulsatile LH release in the presence of oestrogen. Take together, these results raise the possibility that MCH could play a role in mediating the suppression of LH secretion during periods of reduced nutrition.

Neural control of maternal behaviour and olfactory recognition of offspring.

In terms of reproductive success the quality and duration of maternal care exhibited by any particular species is of paramount importance, and yet compared with the amount of research studying the control of reproductive cycles, sexual behaviour, and fertility, it has historically received considerably less attention. However, we are now beginning to understand how the brain is organised to mediate this complex behaviour and how its expression is orchestrated by different hormonal and neurochemical factors. This review summarises a series of neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, in vivo sampling and behavioural neuropharmacological experiments carried out in sheep. These have attempted to define the neural circuitry and hormonal neurotransmitter systems involved both in the control of maternal behaviour per se and in the selective olfactory recognition of lambs, which is the basis of an exclusive emotional bond between mother and offspring.