Endocrinology, Vol 128, 843-849, Copyright © 1991 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone overrides the negative effect of reduced dietary energy on gonadotropin synthesis and secretion in ewes

JP Kile, BM Alexander, GE Moss, DM Hallford and TM Nett
Animal Reproduction & Biotechnology Lab, Colorado State University, Ft Collins 80523.

During prolonged periods of reduced dietary energy, there is a reduction in secretion of LH in females. To test the hypothesis that decreased secretion of LH is due to reduced secretion of GnRH, 18 ovariectomized ewes were fed either a low-energy diet (LOW, 60% of the National Research Council recommendations, n = 12) or a normal diet, (control, n = 6), for 127 days. Each ewe received basal levels (approximately 5 pg/ml) of estradiol via sc Silastic implants. After 127 days, serum concentrations of FSH and LH were reduced (P less than 0.05) by 63% and 77%, respectively in LOW ewes compared to control ewes. Pituitary concentrations of FSH and LH in LOW ewes also were reduced by 56% and 80%, respectively. Compared to levels in control ewes, concentrations of messenger RNAs for alpha-, FSH beta-, and LH beta-subunits were reduced by 75%, 76%, and 91%, respectively. Pulsatile administration of GnRH (250 ng/2 h) for three weeks to LOW ewes restored each of the parameters to levels not different from those in controls. By the end of the study, serum concentrations of GH in all LOW animals had risen dramatically, but not in control ewes. Therefore, it appears that exogenous GnRH is capable of restoring synthesis and secretion of gonadotropins in ewes receiving low-energy diets. These results provide support for the hypothesis that reduced dietary energy results in decreased secretion of GnRH.

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