Article

Impact of neonatal hypothyroidism on reproduction in the male hamster, Mesocricetus auratus.

Department of Veterinary and Comparative Anatomy, Pharmacology and Physiology, Washington State University, 205 Wegner Hall Pullman, WA 99164-6520, United States.
Physiology & Behavior (impact factor: 2.87). 05/2007; 90(5):771-81. DOI:10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.12.017 pp.771-81
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT Thyroid hormones play an important role in brain development. In the present study, we examined the influence of transient postnatal hypothyroidism on reproductive neuroendocrine and behavioral outcomes in the male Syrian (golden) hamster. Hamster pups were rendered hypothyroid following exposure to the goitrogen, 6-n-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU), between postnatal (PN) day 0 (birth) and PN25 (weaning). By 15 days after cessation of PTU, exposure (PN40) serum thyroxine levels had returned to control levels. The testes of treated males were approximately 30% heavier than controls and daily sperm production was increased by 73%. Immunocytochemistry for GnRH revealed that the total number of GnRH neurons did not vary between groups; however, a shift in the distribution of GnRH neurons was observed in treated males such that more GnRH immunoreactive neurons were found in the caudal portion of their normal distribution. The shift in GnRH distribution was associated with a significant reduction (40-50%) in pituitary gonadotropin secretion. Behaviorally, treated males took significantly longer to investigate the anogenital region and then mount a receptive female. A corresponding reduction in the total number of anogenital investigations and mounts was observed. This difference between treated males and controls was reduced, but not eliminated, over successive trials and by the third trial the number of intromission was similar between treated and control males. We conclude that the full complement of adult reproductive functions observed in the male golden hamster requires thyroid hormones during the early postnatal period. The severity of the effects induced by early hypothyroidism in this species varies from transient to permanent, depending on the endpoint.

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    Article: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen as a molecular biomarker for spermatogenesis in PTU-induced hypothyroidism of rats.
    Ehab Tousson, Ehab M M Ali, Wafaa Ibrahim, Mohammed A Mansour
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    ABSTRACT: The thyroid hormone has few serious effects on the testes except during the neonatal stage. There is little knowledge concerning the prolonged effect of thyroid hormone deficiency throughout the rat's life span and its effect on spermatogenesis. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a nuclear matrix protein, which is essential for multiple cell cycle pathways. Here we used PCNA immunohistochemistry as a marker to differentiate between the testes of control and hypothyroid rats. About 20 rats were equally divided into 2 groups; the first group was the control group, while the second group was the experimental group in which rats were fed 0.05% 6-n-propyl thiouracil (PTU) in drinking water for 6 weeks. Immunohistochemistry, using an antibody against PCNA, showed at least 3 differences in the pattern of PCNA immunoreactivity (PCNA-ir). First, PCNA-ir was not detected in Sertoli and Leydig cells in the testes of control rats and detected in some of the hypothyroid rats. Second, in the control group more than 96% of spermatogonia were PCNA-positive cells; however, hypothyroidism caused the reduction to approximately 25% PCNA staining in spermatogonia. The third difference was in the abnormal distribution of spermatogonia seen in the hypothyroid rat testis, not in the control one. These results suggest that prepubertal hypothyroidism affects the proliferation of spermatogenic cells leading to impaired spermatogenesis and that PCNA index is a useful marker for assessing germ cell kinetics and spermatogenesis in prepubertal hypothyroidism.
    Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) 01/2011; 18(7):679-86. · 2.31 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

adult reproductive functions
 
anogenital region
 
behavioral outcomes
 
caudal portion
 
control levels
 
control males
 
corresponding reduction
 
effects induced
 
GnRH distribution
 
GnRH immunoreactive neurons
 
Hamster pups
 
male golden hamster
 
normal distribution
 
postnatal period
 
receptive female
 
reproductive neuroendocrine
 
species varies
 
Thyroid hormones
 
total number
 
transient postnatal hypothyroidism