title: Sexual and developmental differences in peptides regulating growth hormone secretion in the rat.
abstract: Sex differences in the hypothalamic control of growth hormone (GH) secretion were investigated by measuring rat GH-releasing factor (rGRF) and somatostatin in male and female rats. Rat GRF-like immunoreactivity (rGRF-IR) was higher in the median eminence and hypothalamic tissue outside of the median eminence of adult (90-day-old) male compared to female rats. A similar pattern of rGRF-IR content was found in the median eminence of 35-day-old rats. This sex difference developed between days 25 and 35 of age, during which time serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and body weight increased in both sexes. To a lesser extent, the content of somatostatin-like immunoreactivity (SLI) was higher in the median eminence of adult female rats compared to male rats. Whole hypothalamic rGRF-IR and SLI contents were influenced only moderately by adult gonadectomy or gonadal steroid treatments. For example, estrogen increased rGRF-IR content in castrated rats, but orchidectomy alone or orchidectomy followed by testosterone did not influence rGRF-IR content. Additionally, whole hypothalamic SLI content was unaffected by orchidectomy or orchidectomy followed by testosterone or estrogen. One month after ovariectomy, rGRF-IR and SLI in whole hypothalamic fragments were similar to their respective contents in gonad-intact males. However, ovariectomy followed by estrogen or testosterone did not restore rGRF-IR content and partially restored SLI content to levels seen in gonad-intact females.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Millard
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Badger
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Maiter
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008473:Median Eminence / Q000378:metabolism; D009919:Orchiectomy; D010052:Ovariectomy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D013004:Somatostatin; D013006:Growth Hormone; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone