Abstract.Profiles of circulating plasma inhibin A and inhibin B during sexual maturation in male chimpanzees were investigated by using two-site enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA).Plasma concentrations of testosterone and pituitary gonadotropins were also measured. Concentrations of inhibin B, testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin increased with age throughout prepuberty to adulthood, whereas inhibin A level was low and there were no age-related changes in concentrations of either inhibin A and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Inhibin B showed an inverse correlation with FSH in adult (7 years or order) but not in immature (6 years or younger) male chimpanzees.There was no correlation between plasma levels of FSH and testosterone throughout the period of sexual maturation.However, testosterone levels were positively correlated with inhibin B levels. These results suggest that circulating inhibin B is involved in the regulation of FSH secretion after puberty in adult male chimpanzees, and also that circulating inhibin B is an important form of inhibin as a marker of Sertoli cell function in adult male chimpanzees.
Key words:Inhibin, Follicle-stimulating hormone, Prolactin, Chimpanzee, Sexual maturation (Endocrine Journal 47: 707-714, 2000) INHIBIN is a heterodimeric glycoprotein consisting of an a-subunit and either a ~3 A-subunit (inhibin A) or a ,Q B-subunit (inhibin B). In male mammals, inhibin is secreted from Sertoli cells in the testis and suppresses secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone [10, 11 ] . These reports demonstrated that inhibin B is the major circulating form of inhibin, and suggested that inhibin B is used as a marker of Sertoli cell function in these species [4, 6, 7] Chimpanzee is an important species as a suitable
The concentrations of lipids and apolipoproteins in serum from men with chronic schizophrenia who were receiving major tranquilizers (17 receiving phenothiazines and 14 receiving a butyrophenone) were quantitated and compared with serum from male controls (n = 14). Concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoproteins A-I and A-II were significantly lower in the patients than in the controls. Mean apolipoproteins C-II and C-III and very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in the patients receiving phenothiazines were higher than levels in the patients receiving butyrophenone or in the controls. There were no significant differences in levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or apolipoproteins B and E. The triglyceride level in patients receiving phenothiazines (163 +/- 65 mg/dl) was higher than that in patients receiving butyrophenone (104 +/- 52 mg/dl). Our data suggest that, with respect to triglyceride metabolism, butyrophenone is more beneficial than are phenothiazines.
Plasma concentrations of inhibin A and inhibin B during pregnancy and early lactation in chimpanzees were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Plasma samples were taken from five pregnant chimpanzees at 6-9, 10, 20 and 25 weeks of pregnancy, and following parturition. Throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period, circulating inhibin A and inhibin B concentrations remained low, at similar levels to those during the normal menstrual cycle in chimpanzees. Concentrations of inhibin A in the placental homogenate were high enough to be measured by the ELISA and by bioassay, whereas circulating inhibin bioactivities in late pregnancy were too low to be measured. Plasma concentrations of FSH remained low with no significant changes throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period. Plasma concentrations of oestradiol-17 and progesterone at 25 weeks of pregnancy were much higher than normal menstrual cycle levels. It was concluded that in chimpanzees the levels of circulating inhibin A and inhibin B remained low throughout pregnancy and the early postpartum period, and that the concentrations of bioactive dimeric inhibin did not increase towards the end of pregnancy. The suppression of circulating FSH levels during pregnancy is suggested to be controlled by steroid hormones that increased significantly in late pregnancy, and the present findings further suggest that the secretory pattern and role of inhibin during pregnancy in chimpanzees may be different from that in human and other primates.
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