title: Effects of leptin on secretion of LH and FSH from primary cultured female rat pituitary cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Leptin, which is the product of the obese gene, is believed to play important roles in pubertal development and reproductive function in females. In a study using adult male rats, it was found that leptin stimulated secretion of gonadotropin from the pituitary in a dose-related manner. However, there has been no such study in female rats.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of leptin on the production of LH and FSH from the pituitary in female rats, using primary cultured pituitary cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we determined body weight, serum leptin concentration and serum estradiol (E(2)) concentration in female Wistar rats at 3, 5, 6, 7, 9 and 11 weeks of age, and cultured pituitary cells from 6-week-old female Wistar rats with leptin (0--10(-7) mol/l) and GnRH (0 or 10(-8) mol/l). Then basal and GnRH-stimulated extra- and intracellular LH and FSH were assayed by RIA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum leptin concentration increased with increases in body weight and E(2) concentration. The pubertal serum leptin concentration was about 10(-10) mol/l. At a lower or moderate concentration, leptin produced dose-related increases in both basal and GnRH-stimulated extra- and intracellular LH and FSH in pituitary cells. At a concentration of 10 mol/l, leptin significantly (P<0.05) stimulated both basal and GnRH-stimulated extra- and intracellular LH and FSH. However, at greater concentrations, these effects diminished.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicated that leptin induced pituitary cells to produce and secrete both LH and FSH, with or without GnRH. The concentration of leptin that induced the greatest production of gonadotropins by pituitary cells was 10(-10) mol/l, which was the same as the physiological pubertal concentration. Leptin may be involved in the onset of puberty. It is also conceivable that leptin may be a cause of ovulatory failure, not only in weight loss but also in weight gain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, 3-18-15, Kuramoto-cho, Tokushima City, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogura
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Irahara
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiyokawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tezuka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuzaki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasui
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kamada
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aono
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology; D020738:Leptin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D010902:Pituitary Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone