Efectos de la administración cónica de un análogo de ghrelina sobre la fisiología reproductiva de ratones machos y hembra.

PUECHAGUT P; LUQUE EM; MARTINI AC; STUTZ G; SANTILLÁN ME; FIOL DE CUNEO M; RUIZ RD; VINCENTI L

Mar del Plata

Congreso; LIII Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica y Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Fisiología.; 2008

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

Hexarelin (HEXr), a synthetic ghrelin analog, has recently been employed in young, adult or elderly individuals for different periods for the treatment of GH deficiency, catabolic conditions or cardiac pathologies. Ghrelin stimulates GH secretion and modulates food intake and is also expressed in the reproductive system. In this study we looked at the possible effects of chronic HEXr administration on: sperm concentration and functional activity, estrous cyclicity, pregnancy index, number of fetuses and its relation with the number of corpora lutea. Sexually mature Albino swiss mice were injected (sc) daily with HEXr, 100 µg/kg/d (HEXr D1) or 200 µg/kg/d (HEXr D2) for 53 d in males and for 30 d in females. The treatment did not significantly affect any of the parameters evaluated here in males or in females. However, in females that were also administered with HEXr during the first 6 d of pregnancy, a significant decrease in the ratio of fetuses/number of corpora lutea was detected, indicating that a possible inhibition in embryo implantation was occurring. The different effects of HEXr in relation to those described by other authors employing ghrelin could be attributed to the fact that they were administered employing different experimental designs. Some aspects related to down regulation of receptors, desensitization and other physiological phenomena related to signal transduction factors could be taken into account when results are evaluated.