Corticosterone metabolism by chicken follicle cells does not affect ovarian reproductive hormone synthesis in vitro.

Glucocorticoids affect reproductive hormone production in many species. In chickens, elevated plasma corticosterone down-regulates testosterone and progesterone concentrations in plasma, but also in egg yolk. This suppression could be mediated via the hypothalamic-pituitary system but also via local inhibition of gonadal activity by glucocorticoids. As the latter has not been tested in birds yet, we tested if corticosterone directly inhibits ovarian steroid synthesis under in vitro conditions. We hypothesized that degradation of corticosterone by follicular cells impairs their ability to synthesize reproductive hormones due to either inhibition of enzymes or competition for common co-factors. Therefore, we first established whether follicles degrade corticosterone. Follicular tissue was harvested from freshly euthanized laying hens and incubated with radiolabelled corticosterone. Radioactive metabolites were visualized and quantified by autoradiography. Follicles converted corticosterone in a time-dependent manner into metabolites with a higher polarity than corticosterone. The predominant metabolite co-eluted with 20ß-dihydrocorticosterone. Other chicken tissues mostly formed the same metabolite when incubated with corticosterone. In a second experiment, follicles were incubated with either progesterone or dehydroepiandrosterone. Corticosterone was added in increasing dosages up to 1000 ng per ml medium. Corticosterone did not inhibit the conversion of progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone into a number of different metabolites, including 17α-hydroxyprogesterone, androstenedione and testosterone. In conclusion, avian tissues degrade corticosterone mostly to 20ß-dihydrocorticosterone and even high corticosterone dosages do not affect follicular hormone production under in vitro conditions.

Hair cortisol: a parameter of chronic stress? Insights from a radiometabolism study in guinea pigs.

Measurement of hair cortisol has become popular in the evaluation of chronic stress in various species. However, a sound validation is still missing. Therefore, deposition of radioactivity in hair and excretion into feces and urine after repeated injection of (3)H-cortisol was studied in guinea pigs (n = 8). Each animal was given intraperitoneally 243.6 kBq (3)H-cortisol/day on 3 successive days. After the first injection, all voided excreta were collected for 3 days. After the second injection, hair was shaved off the animals' back and newly grown hair was obtained on day 7. Following methanol extraction, radiolabeled and unlabeled glucocorticoid metabolites (GCM) in fecal and hair samples were characterized by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and enzyme immunoassays (EIA). In feces, maximum radioactivity was reached 8 h (median) post each injection, whereas maxima in urine were detected in the first samples (median 2.5 h). Metabolites excreted into feces (13.3% ± 3.7) or urine (86.7%) returned nearly to background levels. HPLC of fecal extracts showed minor variation between individuals and sexes. In hair, small amounts of radioactivity were present. However, two EIAs detected large amounts of unlabeled GCM, including high levels at the position of the cortisol standard; radioactivity was absent in this fraction, demonstrating that (3)H-cortisol was metabolized. Furthermore, large amounts of immunoreactivity coinciding with a radioactive peak at the elution position of cortisone were found. These results show for the first time that only small amounts of systemically administered radioactive glucocorticoids are deposited in hair of guinea pigs, while measurement of large amounts of unlabeled GCM strongly suggests local production of glucocorticoids in hair follicles.