Reproductive performance of male mice after hypothalamic ghrelin administration

PORETTI, MARIA BELEN; FRAUTSCHI, CAMILA; LUQUE, EUGENIA MERCEDES; BIANCONI, SANTIAGO; MARTINI, ANA CAROLINA; STUTZ, GRACIELA; VINCENTI, LAURA MARIA; SANTILLÁN, MARÍA EMILIA; PONZIO, MARINA FLAVIA; SCHIÖTH, HELGI; FIOL DE CUNEO, MARTA HAYDEE; CARLINI, VALERIA PAOLA

REPRODUCTION

BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD

Año: 2018

1470-1626

t has been demonstrated that food intake and reproductive physiology are both simultaneously modulated to optimize reproductive success under fluctuating metabolic conditions. Ghrelin (Ghr) is an orexigenic peptide identified as the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor that is being now investigated for its potential role on reproduction. Considering that data available so far are still limited and characterization of Ghr action mechanism on the reproductive system has not been fully elucidated, we studied the hypothalamus participation in Ghr effects on sperm functional activity in mice. Sperm functional activity, testosterone plasma levels and histological analysis of the testes were assessed after hypothalamic infusion of 0.3 or 3.0 nmol/day Ghr or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) at different treatment periods. We found that chronic Ghr 3.0 nmol/day administration for 42 days significantly reduced sperm concentration (Ghr 3.0 nmol/day: 14.05±2.44 x106