AJP - Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol 246, Issue 2 145-E152, Copyright © 1984 by American Physiological Society
LH responses to LHRH in perifused pituitary cell culture: sex differences in the rat
J. S. Loughlin, P. G. Naddaff and T. M. Badger
The present experiments were designed to study male and female luteinizing
hormone (LH) secretory patterns following pulsatile or continuous
LH-releasing hormone (LHRH) administration using a perifused dispersed rat
anterior pituitary cell culture system. In male cells, consistent LH
responses were elicited by hourly LHRH pulses (30 pmol), whereas in the
female cells (proestrus or diestrus I), a statistically significant (P less
than or equal to 0.01) decrease in the LH secretion occurred with
successive LHRH pulses. Proestrous cells secreted significantly (P less
than or equal to 0.01) more LH than diestrous cells during the first 24 h
but not after 48 h in culture. When exposed to a 6-h continuous infusion of
LHRH (10 nM), male cells released LH in a single phase and female cells
secreted LH in a biphasic pattern. These data suggest that significant sex
differences exist in the rat LH secretory pattern elicited by LHRH in
vitro.
