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Biomedical subjects

S Dalterio

Publications and source records attributed to S Dalterio.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1981

Testicular function in strains of mice selected for differences in gonadotrophin-induced ovulation.

Mice were selected on the basis of ovulatory responses to injections of pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG). Various parameters of pituitary and gonadal function as well as responsiveness to exogenous gonadotrophins were examined in males from high induced-ovulation rate (HIOV) and low induced-ovulation rate (LIOV) lines. Testicular weight, seminal vesicle weight and plasma LH levels were lower in HIOV than in LIOV males, while plasma concentrations of FSH and testosterone did not differ. Binding of FSH, but not of LH, in the testes was significantly higher in HIOV mice. Twenty-four hours after administration of hCG, plasma testosterone levels were higher and testicular LH binding sites appeared more depleted in HIOV than in LIOV males. Production of testosterone by decapsulated testes in vitro was significantly higher in HIOV than in LIOV mice under basal conditions, as well as in the presence of LH, FSH, hCG or PMSG. It was concluded that selection for differences in gonadotrophin-induced ovulation rate produced correlated differences in the steroidogenic response of the testes to gonadotrophins and that these differences may be due to divergence in the number of gonadal FSH binding sites.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Fetal testosterone in mice: effect of gestational age and cannabinoid exposure.

The effect of increasing gestational age and maternal exposure to cannabinoids on body weight, ano-genital distance and androgen concentration in fetal mice was examined. Body weight increased in both male and female fetuses from days 16 to 18 (the presence of a vaginal plug was considered to indicate day 1 of pregnancy), while ano-genital distances tended to increase faster in male than in female fetuses. The concentration of testosterone increased with age in fetuses of either sex. However, at day 16, there was a significant influence of fetal sex on testosterone concentration with two non-overlapping distribution, one above and one below 300 pg/g fetal tissue, correlating with male and female gender respectively. After day 16, male fetuses tended to have higher testosterone concentrations, but some values obtained in females did overlap. Treatment of female mice with delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol, the main psychoactive ingredient of marihuana, from days 12 to 16 pregnancy caused a significant (P less than 0.01) increase in fetal deaths in utero. Cannabinol treatment had no effect on this parameter, but reduced body weight (P less than 0.02) in female fetuses, and increased ano-genital distance (P less than 0.05) in male fetal mice. The concentrations of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone were reduced in male but not in female fetuses. The results indicate that exposure to psychoactive or non-psychoactive constituents of marihuana suppresses testosterone levels in fetal as well as in immature and adult mice, as we have previously reported. Thus, maternal exposure to cannabinoids may interfere with the process of sexual differentiation in their male offspring as a result of decreased fetal androgen production.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Marihuana and alcohol: perinatal effects on development of male reproductive functions in mice.

Marihuana and alcohol have been reported to exert a wide range of effects on reproductive functions in man and laboratory animals. Decreased testosterone levels, suppression of pituitary gonadotropin release, impaired fertility and sexual dysfunction have been observed in adult males exposed to either of these substances. The present studies examined the effects of perinatal exposure to ETOH and THC alone or in combination on the development or reproductive functions in mice. Testes weights and plasma testosterone levels were reduced in adult males perinatally exposed to these substances, alone or in combination. Seminal vesicle weights were reduced only in the THC-exposed mice, while kidney weights were decreased by either ETOH or THC exposure. In ETOH plus THC-exposed animals, plasma LH was reduced while FSH levels were increased. In response to castration, gonadotropin levels were elevated in mice perinatally exposed to THC. In vitro responsiveness to gonadotropin stimulation, as indicated by testosterone production by decapsulated testes, was significantly inhibited in tissue obtained from ETOH-exposed males. Although no simple interactions were observed, it is evident that THC and ETOH, either alone or in combination, can affect the development of male reproductive functions in mice.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1980

Effects of prolactin on testicular regression and recrudescence in the golden hamster.

Transfer of adult male hamsters from a long to a short photoperiod causes testicular atrophy, which is accompanied by decreases in testicular LH receptors and in plasma PRL and testosterone levels. A decrease in plasma gonadotropin levels is also frequently observed. When the decline in peripheral PRL concentration is prevented by transplantation of homologous pituitary(ies) under the kidney capsule, testicular atrophy is delayed and incomplete. This appears to be due to the maintenance of testicular LH receptors by PRL secreted from the grafts and probably also to the stimulation of GSH release from the in situ pituitary. In hamsters maintained in a long photoperiod, ectopic pituitary homografts can increase testicular LH receptor levels, concentrations of testosterone and FSH in the plasma, and the weights of the testes and the seminal vesicles. In contrast to the findings obtained in rats and mice, chronic hyperprolactinemia in the male hamster does not inhibit gonadotropin release or interfere with copulatory behavior. These findings are consistent with our earlier suggestion that PRL plays an important part in the regulation of gonadal function in the male hamster but indicate that testicular atrophy in a short photoperiod cannot be explained solely by a reduction in PRL release.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Perinatal exposure to cannabinoids alters male reproductive function in mice.

Oral administration of delta 9-tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabinol to female mice late in pregnancy and during early lactation alters body weight regulation and pituitary-gonadal function and suppresses adult copulatory activity in their male offspring. These findings suggest that both psychoactive and nonpsychoactive constituents of marihuana can affect the development of male reproductive functions in mice.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Prolactin, growth hormone, luteinizing hormone receptors, and seasonal changes in testicular activity in the golden hamster.

In adult male hamsters, 2 months of exposure to a short photoperiod (5 h of light:19 h of darkness) caused testicular regression and a precipitous decline in plasma PRL, in agreement with earlier reports from other laboratories. Depressed release of PRL cannot be explained by a reduction in testicular steroidogenesis, because castration of males kept in a long photoperiod did not reduce PRL levels and administration of testosterone to males kept in a short photoperiod failed to reverse the decline in plasma PRL concentration. Treatment of such "regressed" animals with PRL, GH, or ectopic pituitary transplants stimulated growth of the testes and the accessory reproductive glands, increased the concentration of LH receptors in the testes, and elevated plasma testosterone levels. A single injection of 250 microgram PRL was sufficient to increase testicular LH binding, and chronic treatment with pituitary grafts completely reversed testicular regression. The effectiveness of exogenous PRL in stimulating testicular growth and LH receptors was significantly influenced by the timing of the injection. In some experiments, gonadotropin levels appeared elevated in animals injected with PRL, but these differences were not statistically significant. In hamsters with gonadal regression induced by exposure to a short photoperiod, daily administration of 20 microgram H and/or 150 microgram FSH had no apparent effect on testicular function. However, treatment with large doses of hCG and/or PMS gonadotropin resulted in significant stimulation of testicular growth and steroidogenesis. Chronic treatment of males maintained in a long photoperiod (14 h of light:10 h of darkness) with an inhibitor of PRL release, 2-Br-alpha-ergocryptine, resulted in a decreased weight of the testes and seminal vesicles. Administration of this inhibitor for a longer period (2 months) produced a significant increase in body weight but had little effect on testicular function. These results indicate that changes in the release of PRL (and possibly also GH) may plan an important role in mediating the effects of the photoperiod on testicular function in the golden hamster.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Cannabinoids inhibit testosterone secretion by mouse testes in vitro.

Addition of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol or cannabinol to an incubation medium containing decapsulated mouse testes caused a significant reduction in the accumulation of testosterone in the medium. This result suggests that the reported effects of cannabis on male sexual and reproductive function may result from direct inhibition of testicular steroidogenesis by both psychoactive and nonpsychoactive constituents of marihuana.

Aging↗
PubMed1977

Suppression of testosterone production by ethyl alcohol. Possible mode of action.

Intragastric administration of ethyl alcohol (1.24 g/kg body weight) to adult male mice caused a drastic decrease in the concentration of testosterone (T) in peripheral plasma. The depression of plasma T levels was significant at 30, 60 and 90 minutes after alcohol administration, but by 120 min, the normal T levels were re-established. This transient decrease in peripheral T levels was probably due to a reduction in testicular T production, because at 1 hr after alcohol administration, the concentration of T in the testis was also significantly depressed. The ability of the testes of alcohol-treated mice to produce T in response to gonadotropic stimulation in vitro was not affected. Addition of 5, 10, 20 or 50 microliter of alcohol per ml of the medium used for the incubation of decapsulated testes had no significant effect on the accumulation of T, but similar doses of acetaldehyde caused a pronounced inhibition of T production. The decrease in plasma T levels observed after administration of ethyl alcohol in vivo may be related to a direct inhibition of testicular T production by acetaldehyde derived from the metabolism of alcohol.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed1977

Effects of experimentally-induced chronic hyperprolactinemia on testosterone and gonadotropin levels in male rats and mice.

We have examined testicular and pituitary function in inbred CD-F rats and DBA/2J mice with chronic hyperprolactinemia induced by grafting 4 anterior pituitaries from adult females of the same strain under the kidney capsule. Eight rats were given pituitary isografts and 9 were sham-operated; blood samples were collected at 4-7 week intervals, and the animals were killed 6 months later. One month after surgery, PRL levels in grafted rats were elevated (348 +/- 15 vs. 94 +/- 11 ng/ml; P less than 0.001), LH levels were depressed (16 +/- 3 vs. 59 +/- 9 ng/ml; P less than 0.001), but T levels were not affected (1.0 +/- 0.1 vs. 1.1 +/- 0.2 ng/ml). The elevated PRL levels in grafted animals did not decline during the subsequent 5 months, while LH levels increased slightly, and T levels remained indistinguishable from those in the controls. At the time of autopsy, FSH levels were reduced in grafted rats (230 +/- 40 vs. 501 +/- 108 ng/ml; P less than 0.05). Multiple pituitary isografts did not affect the weight of the testes or the ventral prostate, but increased the weight of the seminal vesicles (P less than 0.001). In 11 mice examined 5.5 months after receiving pituitary isografts, plasma PRL levels were dramatically elevated (330 +/- 35 vs. 27 +/- 2 ng/ml; P less than 0.001), but plasma T levels and testicular weight were not different from those observed in 12 sham-operated controls. The weight of the seminal vesicles in grafted mice was increased (P less than 0.01). In both rats and mice, chronic hyperprolactinemia did not affect plasma testosterone levels or testes weight and increased seminal vesicle weight.

Adrenal Glands↗