Age-related changes in secretion of luteinizing hormone and metabolism of hypothalamic amines in bull calves prior to puberty

Effects of age and castration on secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and metabolism of hypothalamic monoamines were determined in Holstein bulls. Calves were assigned to be intact or castrated and killed at 8, 12, or 24 wk of age. Animals were castrated and bled every 10 min for 6 h at 96 and 24 h prior to slaughter, respectively. The stalk median eminence (SME), medial basal (MBH), and anterior-preoptic (AHA-POA) hypothalamic regions were obtained at slaughter and assayed for norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid (DOPAC), homovanillic acid (HVA), serotonin (5-HT), and 5-hydroxyindole-acetic acid (5-HIAA) using high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection (HPLC-EC). Concentrations of LH and testosterone in plasma were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA). In intact calves, LH pulse frequency (pulses/6 h) increased between 8 and 12 wk (1.4 vs. 3.4) and then declined (1.6 at 24 wk of age). Frequency of LH discharges did not change during the first 72 h post-castration in calves 8 (1.4 vs 1.0) and 12 (3.4 vs. 3.8) wk of age, but increased in 24-wk-old calves during this time (1.6 vs. 6.4). The amplitude of LH pulses increased with age (p less than 0.05) and after castration (p less than 0.05). There were marked regional differences in concentrations of monoamines. However, effects of age and castration on concentrations of monoamines were observed only within the SME where DA, DOPAC and NE increased significantly with age. Plasma concentrations of testosterone were correlated with concentrations of NE and DOPAC within the SME. Changes in 5-HT with age were biphasic; at each age, 5-HT increased after castration. From these data, it is concluded that 1) different mechanisms regulate LH pulse frequency and amplitude in calves as early as 8 wk of age, and 2) differences in hypothalamic metabolism of monoamines may be related to maturational changes in secretion of LH in bull calves.