title: Comparison of the effects of human and chicken ghrelin on chicken ovarian hormone release.
abstract: The aim of the present experiments was to examine the species-specific and cell-specific effects of ghrelin on chicken ovarian hormone release. For this purpose, we compared the effects of chicken and human ghrelin on the release of estradiol (E), testosterone (T), progesterone (P) and arginine-vasotocin (AVT) by cultured fragments of chicken ovarian follicles and on the release of T and AVT by cultured ovarian granulosa cells. In cultured chicken ovarian fragments, both human and chicken ghrelin promoted E release. T output was stimulated by chicken ghrelin but not by human ghrelin. No effect of either human or chicken ghrelin on P release was observed. Human ghrelin promoted but chicken ghrelin suppressed AVT release by chicken ovarian fragments. In cultured ovarian granulosa cells, human ghrelin inhibited while chicken ghrelin stimulated T release. Both human and chicken ghrelin suppressed AVT output by chicken granulosa cells. These data confirm the involvement of ghrelin in the control of ovarian secretory activity and demonstrate that the effect of ghrelin is species-specific. The similarity of avian ghrelin on avian ovarian granulosa cells and ovarian fragments (containing both granulosa and theca cells) suggests that ghrelin can influence chicken ovarian hormones primarily by acting on granulosa cells.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Zoology and Anthropology, Constantine the Philosopher University, 949 74 Nitra, Slovakia; Dept. of Genetics and Reproduction, Research Institute of Animal Production, 949 59 Lužianky, Slovakia; King Saud University, Zoology Department, College of Science, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: asirotkin@ukf.sk.
authors.forename: Alexander V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Sirotkin
authors.affiliation: King Saud University, Zoology Department, College of Science, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: hharrath@ksu.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Abdel Halim
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Harrath
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Functional Genomics & Bioregulation, Friedrich Loeffler Institute, Mariensee, Neustadt, Germany. Electronic address: roland.grossmann@fli.bund.de.
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Grossmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D005260:Female; D054439:Ghrelin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D054439:Ghrelin; D006728:Hormones
keywords: Arginine-vasotocin; Chicken; Estradiol; Ghrelin; Human; Ovary; Progesterone; Testosterone