Pivotal role of leptin-hypothalamus signaling in the etiology of diabetes uncovered by gene therapy: a new therapeutic intervention?

The incidence of diabetes mellitus has soared to epidemic proportion worldwide. The debilitating chronic hyperglycemia is caused by either lack of insulin as in diabetes type 1 or its ineffectiveness as in diabetes type 2. Frequent replacement of insulin with or without insulin analogs for optimum glycemic control are the conventional cumbersome therapies. Recent application of leptin gene transfer technology has uncovered the participation of adipocytes-derived leptin-dependent hypothalamic neural signaling in glucose homeostasis and demonstrated that a breakdown in this communication due to leptin insufficiency in the hypothalamus underlies the etiology of chronic hyperglycemia. Reinstatement of central leptin sufficiency by hyperleptinemia produced either by intravenous leptin infusion or a single systemic injection of recombinant adenovirus vector encoding leptin gene suppressed hyperglycemia and evoked euglycemia only transiently in rodent models of diabetes type 1. In contrast, stable restoration of leptin sufficiency, solely in the hypothalamus, with biologically active leptin transduced by an intracerebroventicular injection of recombinant adeno-associated virus vector encoding leptin gene (rAAV-lep) abolished hyperglycemia and imposed euglycemia through the extended duration of experiment by stimulating glucose disposal in the periphery in models of diabetes type 1. Further, similar hypothalamic leptin transgene expression abrogated chronic hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia, the predisposing risk factors of the age and environmentally acquired diabetes type 2, and instituted euglycemia by independently activating relays that stimulate glucose metabolism and repress hyperinsulinemia and improve insulin sensitivity in the periphery. Consequently, this durable antidiabetic efficacy of one time rAAV-lep neurotherapy offers a potential novel substitute for insulin therapy following preclinical trials in subhuman primates and humans.

Mandatory neuropeptide-steroid signaling for the preovulatory luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone discharge.

In this article I have examined various aspects of the complex spatio-temporal patterning of peptidergic signaling that lead to synchronized development of neural events for the preovulatory LHRH discharge on proestrus. Undoubtedly, the integration of these events is orchestrated by both ovarian steroids, E2 and P. Evidence accumulated in recent years has failed to affirm the perceived notion that E2 is an adequate peripheral signal for the timely, robust discharge of LHRH on proestrus. The current understanding is shaped by the thesis that the concerted central actions of E2 and P are mediated by a host of regulatory peptides produced locally in the hypothalamus, and steroids, in general, augment the production and release of both inhibitory and excitatory peptides in a timely fashion to facilitate the preovulatory LHRH discharge. Since these peptidergic pathways appear mandatory for signal transfer, considerable recent research has been devoted first to identifying the signals that selectively participate in the induction of preovulatory LHRH (LH) surge, and then to trace the route of signal transmission that ultimately leads to LHRH hypersecretion on the afternoon of proestrus (Fig. 1). The peptidergic pathways that propagate and transmit impulses for the preovulatory LHRH discharge reside in the SCN-MPN-MPOA-ARC-ME neural complex (Fig. 1). The timely initiation of these impulses is entrained to the photo-periodic input reaching the SCN by the retino-hypothalamic tract. The evidence is already in place to show that further information processing is transduced in the MPN; however, the nature of neurochemical signaling between the two sites remains to be deciphered. The available evidence favors a mandatory participation of inhibitory (EOP and NPK) and excitatory (NPY, GAL, NT, and AII) messenger molecules within the SCN-MPN-MPOA-ARC-ME complex (Fig. 1). It is possible that the relevant information from the SCN-MPN is conveyed caudally to the ARC in order to initiate a chain of events for disinhibition/excitation of the NPY-EOP network and to affect LHRH neurosecretion at the perikaryal level in the MPOA and at axon terminals in the ME. Also, either concurrently or on a time-delayed basis, the relevant information from the MPN may be relayed to the MPOA via the local peptidergic network comprised of NT, EOP, NPK, and GAL. This transmission may initially be critical for elicitation of antecedent neurosecretory events in the ME and to ultimately evoke the preovulatory LHRH surge.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Interacting appetite-regulating pathways in the hypothalamic regulation of body weight.

Various aspects of the complex spatio-temporal patterning of hypothalamic signaling that leads to the development of synchronized nocturnal feeding in the rat are critically examined. Undoubtedly, as depicted in Fig. 7, a distinct ARN in the hypothalamus is involved in the control of nocturnal appetite. At least four basic elements operate within this ARN. These are: 1) A discrete appetite-driving or orexigenic network of NPY, NE, GABA, GAL, EOP, and orexin transduces and releases appetite-stimulating signals. 2) Similarly, anorexigenic signal-producing pathways (e.g., CRH, GLP-1, alpha MSH, and CART) orchestrate neural events for dissipation of appetite and to terminate feeding, possibly by interrupting NPY efflux and action at a postsynaptic level within the hypothalamus. It is possible that some of these may represent the physiologically relevant "off" switches under the influence of GABA alone, or AgrP alone, or in combination with NPY released from the NPY-, GABA-, and AgrP-coproducing neurons. 3) Recent evidence shows that neural elements in the VMN-DMN complex tonically restrain the orexigenic signals during the intermeal interval; the restraint is greatly aided by leptin's action via diminution of orexigenic (NPY) and augmentation of anorexigenic (GLP-1, alpha MSH, and CART) signals. Since interruption of neurotransmission in the VMN resulted in hyperphagia and development of leptin resistance, it seems likely that the VMN is an effector site for the restraint exercised by leptin. The daily rhythms in leptin synthesis and release are temporally dissociable because the onset of daily rise in leptin gene expression in adipocytes precedes that in leptin secretion. Nevertheless, these rhythms are in phase with daily ingestive behavior because the peak in circulating leptin levels occurs during the middle of the feeding period. These observations, coupled with the fact that circulating levels of leptin are directly related to adiposity, pose a new challenge for elucidating the precise role of leptin in daily patterning of feeding in the rat. 4) A neural timing mechanism also operates upstream from the ARN in the daily management of energy homeostasis. Although the precise anatomical boundaries are not clearly defined, this device is likely to be composed of a group of neurons that integrate incoming internal and external information for the timely onset of the drive to eat. Evidently, this network operates independently in primates, but it is entrained to the circadian time keeper in the SCN of rodents. Apart from its role in the onset of drive to eat, the circadian patterns of gene expression of NPY, GAL, and POMC denote independent control of the timing device on the synthesis and availability for release of orexigenic signals. The VMN-DMN-PVN complex is apparently an integrated constituent of the timing mechanism in this context, because lesions in each of these sites result in loss of regulated feeding. The accumulated evidence points to the PVN and surrounding neural sites within this framework as the primary sites of release and action of various orexigenic and anorexigenic signals. A novel finding is the identification of the interconnected wiring of the DMN-mPVN axis that may mediate leptin restraint on NPY-induced feeding. The chemical phenotypes of leptin and NPY target neurons in this axis remain to be identified. These multiple orexigenic and anorexigenic pathways in the hypothalamic ARN appear to represent redundancy, a characteristic of regulated biological systems to provide a "fail-safe" neural mechanism to meet an organism's constant energy needs for growth and maintenance. Within this formulation, the coexisting orexigenic signals (NPY, NE, GAL, GABA, and AgrP) represent either another level of redundancy or it is possible that these signals operate within the ARN as reinforcing agents to varying degrees under different circumstances. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Resistance to adenovirally induced hyperleptinemia in rats. Comparison of ventromedial hypothalamic lesions and mutated leptin receptors.

Leptin regulates appetite and body weight via hypothalamic targets, but it can act directly on cultured pancreatic islets to regulate their fat metabolism. To obtain in vivo evidence that leptin may act peripherally as well as centrally, we compared the effect of adenovirally induced hyperleptinemia on food intake, body weight, and islet fat content in ventromedial hypothalamic-lesioned (VMHL) rats, sham-lesioned (SL) controls, and Zucker Diabetic Fatty (ZDF) rats in which the leptin receptor is mutated. Infusion with recombinant adenovirus containing the rat leptin cDNA increased plasma leptin by approximately 20 ng/ml in VMHL and ZDF rats but had no effect on their food intake, body weight, or fat tissue weight. Caloric matching of hyperphagic VMHL rats to SL controls did not reduce their resistance to hyperleptinemia. Whereas prediabetic ZDF rats had a fourfold elevation in islet fat, in VMHL rats islet fat was normal and none of them became diabetic. Isolated islets from ZDF rats were completely resistant to the lipopenic action of leptin, while VMHL islets exhibited 50% of the normal response; caloric matching of VMHL rats to SL controls increased leptin responsiveness of their islets to 92% of controls. We conclude that leptin regulation of adipocyte fat requires an intact VMH but that islet fat content is regulated independently of the VMH.

Neuroendocrine actions and regulation of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y during lactation.

The expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its co-messenger, agouti-related peptide (AgRP), in arcuate neurons of the hypothalamus is increased during lactation in rats. Our research has been addressing the questions of the physiological actions of these peptides during lactation and the physiological signals associated with lactation that result in increased expression of their genes. Our studies indicate that NPY and AgRP exert pleiotropic actions during lactation that help integrate neuroendocrine regulation of energy balance with controls over anterior and posterior pituitary hormone secretion. Further, reciprocal signaling to the NPY/AgRP system by leptin and ghrelin is responsible for the changes in expression of these hypothalamic peptides in lactating animals, and thus, may contribute to regulation of food intake and the various neuroendocrine adaptations of lactation.

Differential effects of methamphetamine on expression of neuropeptide Y mRNA in hypothalamus and on serum leptin and ghrelin concentrations in ad libitum-fed and schedule-fed rats.

Relatively little is known concerning the interaction of psychostimulants with hypothalamic neuropeptide systems or metabolic hormones implicated in regulation of energy balance. The present studies tested whether methamphetamine alters the expression of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP), two important orexigenic neuropeptides, or proopiomelanocortin (POMC), the precursor for the anorexigenic peptide alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, or the secretion of leptin, insulin and ghrelin, concomitant with inhibition of food intake. Female rats were either fed ad libitum (AL) or placed on a scheduled feeding (SF) regimen, with access to food limited to 4 h/day. Administration of (+/-)-methamphetamine (7.5 mg/kg, i.p.) 2 h prior to food presentation significantly inhibited food intake in SF animals, but did not affect intake in AL animals. In a separate study, AL and SF animals were killed just prior to expected food presentation, and expression of NPY, AgRP and POMC mRNAs in hypothalamus was determined using in situ hybridisation; concentrations of leptin, insulin and ghrelin in serum were determined with radioimmunoassays. In saline-treated, SF controls, NPY and AgRP mRNA expression in arcuate nucleus and serum ghrelin were significantly elevated, and serum leptin and insulin were significantly reduced. Methamphetamine reversed the up-regulation of NPY mRNA expression observed in the SF condition, without affecting AgRP mRNA or the serum concentrations of metabolic hormones. However, in AL animals, NPY mRNA expression in arcuate and dorsomedial nuclei was significantly increased by methamphetamine, which also reduced serum leptin and insulin and increased serum ghrelin concentrations. These findings suggest that the inhibition of NPY expression in SF animals may be a mechanism underlying the anorexigenic effect of methamphetamine seen in this condition. The increase in NPY expression produced by methamphetamine in AL animals may be mediated by the ability of this drug to decrease secretion of leptin and insulin and increase secretion of ghrelin.

Neuropeptidergic regulation of feeding behavior Neuropeptide Y.

Neuroendocrine control of feeding behavior is multifactorial, involving a variety of peripheral and central signals. Neuropeptides, catecholamines, and serotonin constitute the signals of the feeding circuitry acting primarily in the brain, especially at the hypothalamic level. In this review, an attempt is made to summarize the recent progress made in our continuing effort to understand the regulation of feeding behavior by neuropeptides, particularly those that stimulate feeding. A special emphasis has been placed on a neuropeptide of the pancreatic polypeptide family-neuropeptide Y (NPY).

Viral vectors as probes to decipher brain circuitry for weight control.

Multidisciplinary research has recently identified an intrinsic appetite-regulating network (ARN) in the hypothalamus. The idea that viruses could help to chart this complex network has gained impetus owing to a combination of our improved understanding of virology and of genetic engineering. Recently, three groups have employed viral vectors as probes to: (1) trace the inflow of sensory information from the neocortex and limbic systems to the ARN; (2) trace the outflow of information from the ARN to the sympathetic nervous system to monitor adiposity and energy expenditure; and (3) decipher the mechanisms underlying leptin resistance, which is responsible for environmentally based obesity.

Tissue levels of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in the preoptic area and hypothalamus, and serum concentrations of gonadotropins following anterior hypothalamic deafferentation and estrogen treatment of the female rat.

Female rats were ovariectomized prior to anterior hypothalamic deafferentation (AHD) or sham AHD of the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH). LHRH in the MBH and the preoptic area (POA), and the blood concentrations of LHRH, FSH, and LH were measured following decapitation at the end of 30 days in experiment 1 and 28 days in experiment 2. Interruption of anterior neural links of the MBH resulted in a drastic reduction in the amounts of LHRH in the MBH and a significant increment in the POA. The circulating levels of FSH (experiments 1 and 2) and LH (experiment 2) were significantly depressed whereas serum LHRH was unaltered following deafferentation. In experiment 3, rats were ovariectomized 25 days following either AHD or sham AHD, and were given estradiol benzoate (EB, 10 mug/rat in oil, SC) or oil alone on day 7 postovariectomy and sacrificed 2 days later. Relative to sham AHD, a reduction in the MBH LHRH and a pronounced elevation in the POA LHRH was observed in AHD rats. Serum LH and FSH concentrations were also significantly decreased. EB treatment significantly lowered serum gonadotropins, whereas LHRH levels in the MBH of both AHD and sham AHD rats increased two-fold. Serum LHRH concentrations were also significantly reduced in AHD rats following EB injection. These studies indicate that 1) since a substantial portion of the LHRH activity normally detected in the MBH of female rats appears to be derived from that synthesized in the rostral regions, it is logical to infer that POA LHRH may be involved in the tonic as well as the cyclic discharge of LH, and 2) an increase in the LHRH content of the MBH after estrogen treatment may be due to a partial inhibition in release and/or an increased rate of synthesis of LHRH in the MBH.

Observations on facilitation of the preovulatory rise of LH by estrogen.

Systemic levels of estradiol (E2) during the 4-day estrous cycle rise in a biphasic manner; slow elevations during diestrus II are followed by rapid increases during the early morning of proestrus (Kalra and Kalra, 1973). The relation of these alterations in systemic E2 levels to the proestrus surge of LH was investigated. Administration of progesterone (P 4 mg/rat) to rats at 2200 hr of diestrus II blocked ovulation and the surge of LH in the afternoon of proestrus. Injection of estradiol benzoate (EB, 5 mug/rat) 2 hr prior to, together with or following P treatment at 0300 hr of proestrus restored ovulation and the surge of LH. However, blockade of ovulation was not reversed if EB was administered at 0500 or 0800 hr of proestrus following P treatment on diestrus II. Similarly, bilateral ovariectomy at 2300 hr of diestrus II but not at 0300 hr or later on proestrus abolished the proestrus surge of LH. Apparently, the rapid rise in systemic E2 between 2300 hr of diestrus II and 0300 hrs of proestrus is crucial and serves to activate the neural "trigger" of preovulatory release of LH. The role of ovarian E2 secretion prior to 2300 hr of diestrus II in facilitation of neural "trigger" was studied. In the absence of endogenous E2 priming produced by ovariectomy at 0800 hr of diestrus II, EB injections at 2300 hr of the same day failed to restore the proestrus surge of LH. However, when ovariectomy was delayed to allow normal E2 priming through diestrus II, administration of EB shortly after ovariectomy at 2300 hr of diestrus II elicited the normal proestrus surge of LH. These results indicated that following the initial "priming" of central site(s) with low levels of circulating E2 during diestrus II, rapid elevations in ovarian estrogen secretion between 2300 hr of diestrus II and 0300 hr of proestrus facilitated the neural "trigger" of pituitary LH release during the critical period on proestrus.

Evidence that a decrease in opioid tone may evoke preovulatory luteinizing hormone release in the rat.

We have assessed the effects on LH release of prolonged naloxone (NAL) treatment before the critical period on proestrus. When LH secretion was monitored at 5-min intervals immediately after the start of continuous NAL infusion (2 mg/0.6 ml saline X h iv) at 1000 h, two types of responses were observed. In three of six rats, a small increase (1-2 ng rat LHRH-2/ml) during the first hour was followed by a sharp rise to 4-5 ng/ml in the second hour and a gradual return to baseline levels (0.5-1.00 ng/ml) in the third hour of infusion. In the remaining rats, LH responses were small with peak levels reaching 2 ng/ml range. When the effects were monitored 1 h after starting NAL infusion at 1000 h, the LH response was improved. Peak LH levels observed shortly before or after 1200 h varied between 4-14 ng/ml and in some rats the levels were comparable to those seen normally in the afternoon of proestrus (9-24 ng/ml). However, delaying the start of NAL infusion to 1200 h produced LH surges before 1400 h, with peak levels (27.5 +/- 5.5 ng/ml) in the range of normal preovulatory LH surges (peak levels 16.6 +/- 2.5 ng/ml), followed by a steady decrease in LH secretion. Additionally, sc NAL pellets implanted at 0930 h provoked premature LH hypersecretion with a temporal pattern (0930-1430 h) and magnitude (peak levels, 26.3 +/- 4.3 ng/ml between 1100-1200 h) comparable to the normal preovulatory LH surge observed after 1330 h. Since NAL is believed to antagonize the inhibitory effects of endogenous opioids on LH secretion, the results of this study imply that a sustained restraint on this inhibitory opioid tone can elicit the LH surge before the critical period on proestrus. These findings are in accord with our thesis that the neural clock that normally triggers the preovulatory LH surge may transiently decrease the inhibitory opioid tone to allow expression of crucial neural events which culminate in preovulatory LH secretion.

The effect of hyperprolactinemia produced by transplantable pituitary MtTW15 tumor cells in male rats on hypothalamic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone release in vitro: effects of naloxone and K+.

Although hyperprolactinemia has been reported to decrease reproductive function in male rats, the mechanism of these effects is not fully understood. We examined the effects of chronic hyperprolactinemia and castration on the LHRH content of the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) and on the basal and evoked in vitro release of LHRH from the MBH-preoptic area (POA). Adult Wistar-Furth male rats were inoculated with MtTW15 tumor fragments; 3 weeks later half of the rats were castrated. Hyperprolactinemic (H) and normoprolactinemic (N) rats were decapitated 2 weeks later to measure MBH LHRH and serum PRL and LH levels. Elevated PRL levels (greater than 2 micrograms/ml) resulted in significantly increased MBH LHRH stores. Castration caused a 57% depletion of MBH LHRH in N rats; in castrated H rats the MBH LHRH content was also reduced by 40%, a significantly lesser extent. Although serum LH levels in intact H rats were only slightly reduced, postcastration LH hypersecretion was significantly attenuated. In a parallel study, the LHRH release rate was assessed by in vitro perfusion of the MBH-POA. The basal LHRH release rates of intact N and H rats were similar. Castrated N rats released LHRH at a reduced rate (50%; P less than 0.01), whereas in castrated H rats the LHRH release rate was reduced by 20%, which corresponded with the partial depletion of the MBH LHRH content in these rats. To examine the possibility of opiate involvement, LHRH release evoked by two consecutive naloxone (NAL) infusions (1 mg/ml for 30 min) was studied. The two NAL infusions resulted in two similar significant increments of LHRH in the MBH-POA of intact N and H rats. However, castration produced different effects on the NAL-induced LHRH release. First, the second NAL pulse was not effective in stimulating LHRH release from the MBH-POA of N and H castrated rats. Further, the first NAL infusion elicited a significant increase in LHRH output from the MBH-POA of N and H castrated rats, but it was significantly lower in comparison with that in their respective intact counterparts. In addition, the NAL-induced LHRH response was higher from the MBH-POA of castrated H than that in castrated N rats. These studies show that neither basal nor evoked LHRH output in vitro is affected by severe and chronic hyperprolactinemia produced by MtTW15 pituitary tumor cells in intact male rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Decreases in mediobasal hypothalamic and preoptic area opioid ([3H]naloxone) binding are associated with the progesterone-induced luteinizing hormone surge.

In view of evidence implicating hypothalamic opioid systems in the control of LH release, we have examined the binding of [3H]naloxone (NAL) to slices of mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) and preoptic area (POA) during the induction of an afternoon LH surge (1630-1700 h) in estradiol benzoate (EB)-primed ovariectomized (OVX; day 0) rats by treatment with progesterone (P; day 2). Such a surge was invariably accompanied by a decrease from early morning (1000 h) values in the number of NAL-binding sites detectable in the MBH, while the affinity of the binding site was not affected over the course of the day. Time-course studies indicated that P injection at 1000 h on day 2 was followed by a transient midday elevation in the amount of NAL bound to slices of MBH; the binding decreased significantly before the onset of and during the LH surge. A similar diurnal change was not observed in MBH slices of either oil-treated OVX rats (controls) or EB-treated OVX rats, which displayed only a 2-fold increase in LH release in the afternoon. Further studies indicated a similar change in NAL binding to slices of the POA of EBP-treated rats. Since hypothalamic opioid systems inhibit LH release, the decrease in opioid binding to MBH as well as POA slices suggests that P may curtail the existing opioid inhibitory influence in these areas before and during the course of the afternoon LH surge.

Effects of tachykinins on luteinizing hormone release in female rats: potent inhibitory action of neuropeptide K.

Tachykinins, a family of biologically active related peptides, are found in variable amounts in the rat hypothalamus. We assessed the effects of five tachykinins, substance P (SP), neurokinin A (NKA), neuropeptide K (NPK), neuropeptide gamma (NP gamma), and neurokinin B (NKB), on LH release in different experimental model systems in ovariectomized rats. In the first series of experiments rats were ovariectomized and implanted with permanent cannulae in the third cerebroventricle of the rat brain. Two weeks later, the effects of intracerebroventricular injection of 0.5 or 1.25 nm various tachykinins on LH release were studied. The results showed that whereas SP, NKA, and NKB were ineffective, and NP gamma was marginally effective, NPK produced a long-lasting suppression of LH release. NPK decreased LH release in a dose- and time-related fashion. Similarly, in the second series of experiments, whereas SP and NKA were inactive, NPK completely suppressed the LH surge induced by progesterone in estrogen-primed ovariectomized rats. In the third series of experiments we observed that NK-2 receptor agonist [Nle10]NKA4-10, and not NK-1 receptor agonist [Sar9,Met(O2)11]SP, suppressed both the release of LH in vivo and basal and KCl-induced hypothalamic LHRH release in vitro. These results show that NPK is the most effective tachykinin in suppressing LH release, and the inhibitory response is mediated by hypothalamic NK-2 receptors. These findings are in accord with the hypothesis that NPK may serve as a hypothalamic inhibitory neurotransmitter/neuromodulator of LHRH secretion.

Circadian periodicities of serum androgens, progesterone, gonadotropins and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in male rats: the effects of hypothalamic deafferentation, castration and adrenalectomy.

Serum testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT), progesterone (P), LH, FSH and luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) levels and the LHRH content in the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) and preoptic area (POA) were estimated during a 24-h period. Circadian rhythms, temporally unrelated to each other, were evident in serum FSH and LHRH and the MBH LHRH content; serum LH fluctuated randomly. In addition, serum T and DHT demonstrated a parallel circadian pattern while serum T and P appeared inversely related. Serum P rhythm persisted in long-term castrate males. Without adversely affecting serum LH, anterior hypothalamic deafferentation abolished both serum T and P rhythms, whereas adrenalectomy obliterated only the serum T periodicity. These studies show that the POA-MBH complex and the adrenals play important roles in the circadian regulation of testicular secretions.

Reversal of beta-endorphin-induced blockade of ovulation and luteinizing hormone surge with prostaglandin E2.

We examined the effects of intraventricular (Ivt) administration of beta-endorphin (beta E) on preovulatory LH release, ovulation, and the mechanism that may be involved in opioid action. Female rats were implanted with permanent cannulae in the third ventricle of the brain and were allowed to recover 4-day estrous cyclicity. Intrajugular cannulae were placed on the morning of proestrus. Thereafter, they received Ivt either saline (2 microliter) or beta E (10 micrograms/2 microliter) at 1300, 1430, and 1600 h. In addition, at 1600, 1700, and 1800 h, they were injected Ivt with either vehicle (cerebrospinal fluid or saline) or one of the following compounds: epinephrine (15.3 micrograms), norepinephrine (15.3 micrograms), or prostaglandin E2 (6 micrograms). Blood samples for LH measurements were taken 0, 10, 30, and 60 min after the additional injections at 1600 and 1700 h. beta E blocked the preovulatory LH surge and ovulation. Administration of the opiate receptor antagonist naloxone (2 mg/kg) reversed these effects. Epinephrine stimulated a small discharge of LH only after a second E injection in the beta E-treated rats, but this was insufficient to restore ovulation. On the other hand, prostaglandin E2 reversed the beta E blockade of the LH surge and ovulation. These studies suggest that beta E blocks ovulation and the LH surge primarily by suppressing either the influx or adrenergic expression of the spontaneous neurogenic stimuli responsible for the preovulatory LH discharge and not by evoking a general decrease in the secretory response of the LHRH neurons.

Effects of intraventricular administration of catecholamines on luteinizing hormone release in morphine-treated rats.

Morphine (M) treatment has been shown to suppress LH release in rats. These studies were undertaken to determine whether a decrease in the response of LHRH neurons to excitatory neurotransmitters may be responsible for the depressed LH secretion in M-treated rats. Ovariectomized rats bearing permanent cannulae in the third ventricle of the brain were primed with estradiol benzoate and progesterone; 3 days later, they received M (20 mg/kg, sc) or saline (controls). The effects of two intraventricular (Ivt) 2-min pulses delivered 80 min apart of vehicle (artificial cerebrospinal fluid), dopamine, norepinephrine, or epinephrine (E) on LH release were assessed. Basal blood LH levels were undisturbed by Ivt administration of vehicle in saline-treated rats. Intraventricular infusions of dopamine (5.3 micrograms/pulse) also failed to evoke LH release in saline-treated rats. However, similar pulse norepinephrine or E infusions (5.3 micrograms/pulse) readily elicited well defined episodes of LH hypersecretion. The magnitude and temporal pattern of LH responses in the control and M-treated rats were quite similar. In another experiment, the progesterone-induced afternoon LH surge was blocked by M treatment of estradiol benzoate-primed rats. In these blocked rats, Ivt administration of E evoked rapid and substantial LH secretion. Thus, our results failed to demonstrate any evidence of diminution in the response of LHRH neurons to excitatory neurotransmitters in M-treated rats. On the other hand, they lend credence to the view that a decreased influx of adrenergic signals in the vicinity of the LHRH neurons may result in the suppression of LH release after M administration.

Discriminative effects of testosterone on hypothalamic luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone levels and luteinizing hormone secretion in castrated male rats: analyses of dose and duration characteristics.

We have previously reported that in castrated male rats gonadal steroids can raise LHRH levels in the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH). However, there was an important dissociation between episodic LH release and the MBH LHRH response to 17 beta-estradiol. In the present study we have examined the effects of varying the dose of testosterone (T) on the MBH LHRH levels, episodic LH release pattern, and pituitary responsiveness to LHRH; in addition we have determined the duration of T exposure required to elicit the MBH LHRH response. Results show that low serum levels of T (413-638 pg/ml) were just as effective as higher concentrations (1337-1776 pg/ml) in raising the MBH LHRH levels at 96 h; the minimum duration of exposure to T was 72 h. However, whereas higher T levels (greater than 1 ng/ml) suppressed LH release coincident with elevated LHRH levels, low T concentrations did not alter LH release contemporaneous with the MBH LHRH elevations. Analysis of the episodic LH secretion pattern disclosed that these low concentrations of T changed neither the number of pulses per 3 h per rat, pulse amplitude, nor the interpulse interval. On the other hand, as T concentrations were increased, pulse amplitude fell in a dose-related manner while other components of episodic LH secretion remained unchanged. Despite these differential effects of T on the LH release pattern, pituitary sensitivity to exogenous LHRH was reduced by the low as well as high levels of T. These studies show that 1) T can activate those intracellular neurosecretory events that are involved in augmented LHRH supply to the nerve terminals in the median eminence; 2) T can stimulate LHRH accumulation in the MBH by mechanisms that may not involve inhibition of LHRH release; and 3) higher T levels do not alter LH pulse frequency but depress only the pulse amplitude that may result from decrements in the amounts of LHRH released with each neural episode and depressed pituitary sensitivity to LHRH.

Epinephrine synthesis inhibitors block naloxone-induced LH release.

Administration of the opiate receptor antagonist, naloxone, evoked rapid rises in plasma LH levels in estrogen, progesterone-primed ovariectomized rats. Pretreatment with a peripherally acting epinephrine (EPI) synthesis inhibitor, SK&F 29661, failed to influence the naloxone-induced LH release. However, two centrally acting EPI synthesis inhibitors, SK&F 64139 and LY 78335, which selectively suppressed hypothalamic EPI levels, blocked stimulation of LH release by naloxone. These results implicate brain EPI neurons in mediation of endogenous opioid peptide influence on LH release.

Stimulation with estrogen and progesterone of luteinizing hormone (LH)-releasing hormone release from perifused adult female rat hypothalami: correlation with the LH surge.

The effects of estradiol benzoate (EB) and progesterone (P) in vivo and P in vitro on LHRH release from perifused preoptic area-medial basal hypothalamus (POA-MBH) tissue fragments were assessed. In the first series of experiments, ovariectomized female rats were given either 10 or 30 micrograms EB on day 0, followed by either oil or 5 mg P at 1000 h on day 2. Rats were killed at 2-h intervals after P or oil injection, and the POA-MBH from these rats were incubated in a perifusion system. LHRH release from the POA-MBH of rats primed with either 10 or 30 micrograms EB displayed similar patterns; from a basal rate at 1200 and 1400 h, LHRH secretion rose to significantly higher levels at 1600 and 1800 h. This increase in LHRH release in vitro was evident from the POA-MBH obtained just before and during the afternoon LH rise in vivo. On the other hand, the LHRH secretion pattern in vitro was different in two ways when rats were treated additionally with P. First, LHRH output was significantly higher at 1200 and 1400 h than that in rats treated with 10 or 30 micrograms EB only; this pattern was maintained later at 1600 and 1800 h from the POA-MBH of rats primed with 30 micrograms EB. Second, within the EB/P-treated (EBP) group, significant elevations in the LHRH output occurred from the POA-MBH obtained at 1800 h when rats were in the midst of the LH surge. In the other series of experiments, the POA-MBH of the EB-primed rats (30 micrograms/rat) were perifused with P (10 ng/ml) or vehicle for 6 h. The mean LHRH release during the 6-h interval was significantly higher after P perifusion; the bulk of this rise was evident at 4 h. These studies show that in vitro, the LHRH output of the POA-MBH from the EB- or EBP-treated rats varies significantly during the day and that the POA-MBH of EB-treated rats secretes large amounts of LHRH in vitro, which correlate well with the afternoon LH rise. In addition, treatment with P in vivo changes the in vitro pattern of LHRH output from the POA-MBH of these EB-primed rats, whereas superfusion of P in vitro induces only a marginal stimulation of LHRH release.