Enzymic activities in the seminal plasma of normospermic, oligospermic and infertile azoospermic men

Activities of seminal plasma alpha-D-glucosidase, beta-D-galactosidase, alpha-amylase, chymotrypsin-like enzyme and RNAase were studied in normo spermic, oligospermic and non-obstructive azoospermic men. No significant change in the activities of the aforesaid enzymes were found amongst the three catagories, classified according to sperm density.     

Lack of influence of mounting on plasma FSH,LH and testosterone concentrations in azoospermic and normospermic young bulls

The influence of mounting and ejaculation on the FSH, LH and testosterone secretory patterns was studied in three azoospermic (including one 61 XXY; one Sertoli-cell-only Syndrome and one secretory-excretory azoospermic) and three control normospermic bulls. Sexual activity did not result in any alteration in the release of these three hormones. There was no difference between the secretory patterns before and after ejaculation in the two classes of bulls. One of the main features was the elevated concentrations of FSH in the bull with Klinefelter's Syndrome, but the mounting test did not result in any significant effect on this concentration. The LH and testosterone patterns were similar for all individuals. From these results, it can be concluded that the mounting test applied under these experimental conditions had no effect on the pituitary-gonadal axis in bulls characterized by either impairment of spermatogenesis or normal semen production.     

On the correlation between FSH, LH and prolactin serum levels.

In 188 males FSH, LH, and prolactin serum levels determined from a single blood sample were found to be closely correlated. No correlation appeared to testosterone levels. The same correlation is observed, if serum levels of FSH, LH, and prolactin are measured after stimulation with LH-RH and TRH. In order to explain the close correlation, in five young men hormone levels were measured at 2-min-intervals over a period of 2 hours. Peaks of prolactin often correspond to those of FSH and LH, and a statistical correlation was found in two cases between FSH and prolactin. Results suggest a common releasing mechanism, which is superposed to the main mediating mechanism.     

Low serum levels of FSH, LH and prolactin in luteal phase inadequacy

In order to elucidate the relationship between prolactin (PRL) levels and corpus luteum function in humans, assessment of temporal relationship between levels of PRL, LH, FSH, estradiol and progesterone was made in eleven normal cycling women and six short luteal women. All hormones were determined by specific radioimmunoassay. The mean PRL level in the luteal phase was higher than that in the follicular phase in normal women. On the other hand, no difference mean was seen between the PRL levels of follicular and luteal phases in short luteal women. In addition, follicular and luteal phase secretion of PRL in the short luteal phase (SLP) was lower than that in the normal control. LH and FSH in the follicular and luteal phases, estradiol secretion in the late follicular and early to mid-luteal phases in SLP were also lower than those in the control. These observations were consistent with the hypothesis that SLP is a sequel to aberrant folliculogenesis. In addition, it is inferred that low PRL levels in the SLP might be due to inadequate augmentation by estrogen, rather than giving PRL any positive controlling role in the maintenance of corpus luteum function.     

Serum levels of prolactin, LH and LH-RH after ablation of the medial basal hypothalamus.

4 weeks after surgical ablation (MHA) of the medial basal hypothalamus (MBH) in adult male rats, serum levels of prolactin, LH, and LH-RH were determined by radioimmunoassay. Blood samples were obtained by jugular venipuncture under ether anesthesia (designated 'stress' samples) and 30 min after the ether stress by rapid decapitation (designated 'resting samples). 30 min after ether, serum levels of prolactin, LH, and LH-RH in MHA rats were comparable to those of intact and sham-operated controls. Among intact and sham-operated rats, ether elicited an initial increased in prolactin but not in LH or LH-RH. In the MHA group, prolactin levels were also acutely increased, although the increment was not as great as in control groups. The data indicate that considerable basal prolactin and LH secretion persists after MHA, and that this continued secretion may be regulated by neurohoromones such as LH-RH which arise from areas outside the MBH.     

Sperm creatine phosphokinase activity as a measure of sperm quality in normospermic, variablespermic, and oligospermic men

We have found a significant inverse correlation between sperm concentrations and sperm creatine N-phosphotransferase (CPK) activities in oligospermic and normospermic human specimens. In the present work, we carried out serial CPK determinations to assess whether there is a relationship between fluctuating sperm concentrations and sperm quality in consistently oligospermic and variablespermic (sperm concentrations are occasionally in the greater than 20 million/ml range) husbands of 65 couples (23 normospermic men/51 samples, 25 consistently oligospermic men/80 samples, and 17 variablespermic men/68 samples). The sperm CPK activities were significantly lower in the normospermic vs. the oligospermic or variablespermic groups (p less than 0.001), but there were no differences between the latter two (p greater than 0.25). The mean CPK values of migrated sperm fractions in both the oligospermic and variablespermic populations were improved (at least 20% decline in CPK values) compared to those of the initial specimens (1.27 +/- 0.38 vs. 0.68 +/- 0.37 and 0.77 +/- 0.32 vs. 0.46 +/- 0.24 SEM U/100 million sperm, respectively, p less than 0.001 in both pairs) and the incidence of the "failed-to-improve" samples was also similar in the two groups (44/36 vs. 45/23, p greater than 0.2). The lack of differences in the mean CPK activities, in the distribution of CPK values under and over 0.250 U/100 million sperm level, and in the ratio of migrated samples with improved or with failed-to-improve CPK activities suggests that sperm quality is not different between men who are consistently oligospermic and those who occasionally produce normospermic specimens.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

An immunoreactive peptide of the FSH involved in autoimmune infertility.

The purpose of this study was to identify autoantigens contained in human ovary extracts. Serum samples from 36 infertile women with anti-ovary antibodies as detected with an ELISA technique were tested in Western blot against human ovary extracts. A reactive protein with a molecular mass matching that of the FSH was detected in 34 cases. These serum samples also reacted strongly in Western blot and ELISA with purified FSH and, in immunofluorescence, with pituitary cells. Using the Pepscan approach, with overlapping peptides matching the amino acid sequence of the human FSH beta-chain, several immunoreactive regions were evidenced. The 78-93 amino acid sequence of the human FSH beta-chain appeared as one of the major epitopes. Synthetic peptides of this region were prepared and demonstrated to react with human serum samples from women with anti-ovary antibodies. These data demonstrate that FSH can be an autoantigen, recognized by autoantibodies associated with infertility.     

Effects of oestradiol on LH, FSH and prolactin in ovariectomized ewes

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that the rate (dose/time) at which oestradiol-17 beta (oestradiol) is presented to the hypothalamo-pituitary axis influences secretion of LH, FSH and prolactin. A computer-controlled infusion system was used to produce linearly increasing serum concentrations of oestradiol in ovariectomized ewes over a period of 60 h. Serum samples were collected from ewes every 2 h from 8 h before to 92 h after start of infusion, and assayed for oestradiol, LH, FSH and prolactin. Rates of oestradiol increase were categorized into high (0.61-1.78 pg/h), medium (0.13-0.60 pg/h) and low (0.01-0.12 pg/h). Ewes receiving high rates of oestradiol (N = 11) responded with a surge of LH 12.7 +/- 2.0 h after oestradiol began to increase, whereas ewes receiving medium (N = 15) and low (N = 11) rates of oestradiol responded with a surge of LH at 19.4 +/- 1.7 and 30.9 +/- 2.0 h, respectively. None of the surges of LH was accompanied by a surge of FSH. Serum concentrations of FSH decreased and prolactin increased in ewes receiving high and medium rates of oestradiol, when compared to saline-infused ewes (N = 8; P less than 0.05). We conclude that rate of increase in serum concentrations of oestradiol controls the time of the surge of LH and secretion of prolactin and FSH in ovariectomized ewes. We also suggest that the mechanism by which oestradiol induces a surge of LH may be different from the mechanism by which oestradiol induces a surge of FSH.     

Effects of hypothalamic-releasing hormones on LH, FSH, and prolactin in pituitary monolayer cultures.

Four-day-old pituitary monolayer cultures were incubated with various hypothalamic releasing hormones. Rat hypothalamic extract stimulated the release of LH, FSH, and PRL by these cultures in a dose-related fashion. Synthetic LH-RH stimulated the release of LH and FSH but not of PRL. Synthetic TRH increased the release of PRL but had no effect on LH or FSH. At 10(-8) M, somatostatin did not affect any of the three adenohypophyseal hormones. Incubation with DBcAMP or theophylline also stimulated PRL release without any detectable effect on LH and FSH release. These data suggest the involvement of cyclic AMP--adenylate cyclase system in the mechanism of PRL release, but their involvement in gonadotropin release requires further studies.