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Human Reproduction, Vol. 16, No. 6, 1058-1064, June 2001
© 2001 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Debate Continued

Is there a physiological role for gonadotrophin oligosaccharide heterogeneity in humans?

III. Luteinizing hormone heterogeneity: a medical physiologist's perspective

M. Bergendah1 and J. D. Veldhuis2,3

1 Departments of Pediatrics and Physiology, University of Turku, FIN-20520 Turku, Finland and 2 Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, General Clinical Research Center and Center for Biomathematical Technology, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908, USA

Clinical evidence for a physiological impact of luteinizing hormone (LH) isoforms includes their unequal in-vitro bioactivity and altered in-vivo LH kinetics. For example, alkaline LH isospecies emerge in an oestrogen-rich milieu, and show greater bioactivity in vitro along with more rapid metabolic removal in vivo. More acidic LH isotypes are predominant in eugonadal men with end-stage renal failure and in postmenopausal women. The relevance of changes in charge distribution in puberty to sexual maturation is not clear. Molecular LH variants may be associated with decreased testis size and reduced linear growth in boys, menstrual irregularity and/or subfertility in women, and possibly protect against polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This article summarises the provisional physiological implications of LH isotypes based on current evidence.

Key words: bioassays/hormone physiology/LH isoforms/oligosaccharide heterogeneity

3 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Post Office Box 800202, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908–0202, USA. E-Mail: JDV{at}Virginia.edu


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