Experimental therapeutic intervention with ascorbic acid in ethanol induced testicular injuries in rats.

Ascorbic acid treatment significantly increased the activities of testicular delta5, 3beta-HSD and 17beta-HSD. Moreover, the treatment was also associated with significant decrease in oxidative stress in the testis. Ethanol induced oxidative stress and decreased steroidogenesis can be reversed by treatment with ascorbic acid.

Effects of IL 6 on steroidogenesis of human granulosa cells in vitro

Recent studies suggest that in addition to gonadotropins, immunological factors, such as cytokines play an important role in production of steroid hormones. The purpose of this study was to examine effects of IL-6 on basal and FSH stimulated secretions of estradiol and progesterone in the presence of androstendione by human granulosa cells [GC] in vitro. Graunlosa cells were harvested at the time of follicular aspiration after ovarian hyperstimulation according to standard protocols with hMG from patients undergoing IVFET. The cells [2 X 10[4] viable cells per well] were cultured with HAM and # 101; s F-10 without any supplements [control] or increasing concentrations of recombinant human [rh] IL-6, [8,16,32,64,128 pg/ml] added in the absence or presence of FSH [96 IU/ml]. Media were collected after 24,48,72 and 96 hours at a 24h interval and estradiol and progesterone levels were measured by an enzyme immunoassay [EIA] with automated system. Results of this study showed that leuteinized GC in the absence of FSH and the presence of androgen was able to produce estradiol and progesterone in vitro. This production was significantly increased in the presence of FSH. Basal and FSH stimulated productions of estradiol were significantly [P < 0.05] inhibited by increasing amounts of IL-6. Although this inhibitory effect on basal production of progesterone was not significant. IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner significantly [P < 0.05] inhibited FSH stimulated production of progesterone by GC. These results suggest that IL-6 may play an important role in the production of estradiol and progesterone and any disorders in level of IL-6 may cause estradiol and progesterone release disturbances

subacute effects of cadmium on sex hormones in female rats

Toxic effects of trace elements upon the hypothalamic- pituitary- testicular axis and sex hormones have been reported in recent years. It is generally considered that CdCl2 poisoning causes histopathological changes in the testicles of male rats. Little attention had been drawn to the possible toxic effects of CdCl2 on the ovary and female sex hormones. The purpose of the present study was to determine the subacute poisoning effects of CdCI2 [10 mg/kg I.P. for 15 days] on the female gonadotropins and sex hormones such as FSH, LH, progestrone, estradiol and prolactin. Female wistar rats 12 weeks of age [approximately 300g] were divided into two groups [10 in each group], one group received CdCl2 and the other received saline as a control. Serum hormones were measured by radioimmunoassay. In contrast to male animals, CdCl2 injection did not affect serum FSH and LH concentration in female rats, whereas serum prolactin concentration was significantly elevated compared with that of control animals [p<0.05] after CdCl2 injection. This effect is not similar to the effect of CdCl2 on the prolactin of male rats which was reported by Chandler and coworkers. No marked differences were observed between the control and experimental values of serum estradiol and progestrone concentrations

Suppression of steroidogenesis in mice granulosa cells by a synthetic nonapeptide fragment of human seminal plasma inhibin.

A synthetic nonapeptide, which is C-terminal sequence of 94-amino acid of prostatic inhibin peptide was tested for progesterone and estrogen secretion by mouse granulosa cell cultures. Nonapeptide suppressed the progesterone and estrogen synthesis, the magnitude of suppression was highest at 5 ng dose level for progesterone and 50 ng dose level for estradiol. The study suggests that, nonapeptide exerts its effect by impairing the binding of FSH to granulosa cell receptors.