Elderly Men Have Low Levels of Anti-Müllerian Hormone and Inhibin B, but with High Interpersonal Variation: A Cross-Sectional Study of the Sertoli Cell Hormones in 615 Community-Dwelling Men

Abstract

The Sertoli cells of the testes secrete anti-Müllerian hormone (Müllerian inhibiting Substance, AMH) and inhibin B (InhB). AMH triggers the degeneration of the uterine precursor in male embryos, whereas InhB is part of the gonadal-pituitary axis for the regulation of sperm production in adults. However, both hormones are also putative regulators of homeostasis, and age-related changes in these hormones may therefore be important to the health status of elderly men. The levels of AMH in elderly men are unknown, with limited information being available about age-related changes in InhB. We have therefore used ELISAs to measure Sertoli cell hormone levels in 3 cohorts of community-dwelling men in New Zealand. In total, 615 men were examined, 493 of which were aged 65 or older. Serum AMH and InhB levels inversely correlated with age in men older than 50 years (p<0.001) but not in the younger men. A minority of elderly men had undetectable levels of AMH and InhB. The variation in hormone levels between similarly aged men increased with the age of men. AMH and InhB partially correlated with each other as expected (r = 0.48, p<0.001). However, the ratio of the two Sertoli hormones varied significantly between men, with this variation increasing with age. Elderly men selected for the absence of cardiovascular disease had AMH levels similar to those of young men whereas their InhB levels did not differ from aged-matched controls. These data suggests that Sertoli cell number and function changes with age, but with the extent and nature of the changes varying between men.

Anti-Müllerian hormone is a gonadal cytokine with two circulating forms and cryptic actions

“…The thick lines illustrate the mean levels, and the thin lines the 95% CI. The illustration is based on the following references: Josso et al (1993), Lee et al (1996), Schwindt et al (1997), Rajpert-De Meyts et al (1999), Rey et al (1999), Guibourdenche et al (2003), Oppelt et al (2005), Aksglaede et al (2010), Hagen et al (2010), Grinspon et al (2011) and Chong et al (2013). See also Tran et al (1987), Munsterberg & Lovell-Badge (1991), Hirobe et al (1992), Taketo et al (1993) and Al-Attar et al (1997) for information on mice and rats.…”

Serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels correlate with infrarenal aortic diameter in healthy older men: is AMH a cardiovascular hormone?

“…The levels of AMH in adults are less than those present in boys but are nevertheless sufficient to influence some AMH-sensitive cells in vitro (Wang et al 2005). Ovarian production of AMH ceases as women enter menopause (Visser et al 2012), with the result that AMH is dimorphic in the elderly (Chong et al 2012(Chong et al , 2013.…”

Relationships between Anti-mullerian Hormone, Testosterone, Luteinizing Hormone and Follicle Stimulating Hormone in Men on Testosterone Therapy

“…Men with enlarged aortic diameter are also reported to have lower AMH levels [8]. In contrast men, free of arterial cardiovascular disease had higher AMH levels which were similar to levels of AMH in younger men [4]. A novel finding of high Growth hormone/IGF-1 activity being associated with reduced AMH levels has also been reported by Andreassen et al [9].…”

“…There are strong genetic influences on AMH levels in men after puberty and high interpersonal variation [3,4]. A small diurnal variation of AMH occurs with levels ~5% lower in the early morning (06:00) when testosterone is at its peak, compared to slightly higher AMH at 19:00 [25].…”

“…However, despite being a critical male hormone, vital in early male sexual differentiation, its physiologic role and the factors determining levels in adult men remain poorly understood [3,4]. It appears that AMH be a marker of Sertoli cell number and function but new reports suggest a broader role for this "gonadal cytokine" in men [5,6].…”