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Human Reproduction, Vol. 8, No. 10, pp. 1598-1603, 1993
© 1993 European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

research-article

Endocrinology: The effect of nalmefene on pulsatile secretion of luteinizing hormone and prolactin in men

G.R. Graves1, T.G. Kennedy2, R.F. Weick2 and R.F. Casper3

The Division of Reproductive Sciences, University of Toronto Toronto 2Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Physiology, University of Western Ontario London, Canada

Correspondence: 3To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Division of Reproductive Sciences, 6-246 EN, Toronto General Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 2C4 Canada

Luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin are released in pulses which are relatively synchronous in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in women. The concordance of LH and prolactin pulses in normal men has not been reported. The objectives of this study were firstly to determine whether LH and prolactin pulses are synchronous in men, and secondly to examine the effects of naloxone and a new orally active opiate antagonist, nalmefene, on LH and prolactin release in men. Three groups of normal male subjects received saline infusion (control n = 5), naloxone infusion (2 mg/h; n = 5) or nalmefene (10 mg p.o.; n = 6). Blood samples were collected every 15 min for 2 h before and 6 h after study medication for determination of LH, prolactin and testosterone by radioimmunoassay. Both naloxone and nalmefene resulted in a significant increase in LH pulse frequency and in mean serum LH and testosterone concentrations with no change in LH pulse amplitude, prolactin pulse frequency or amplitude. In controls, 61% of LH pulses were synchronous with prolactin pulses. There was a decrease in concomitance of LH and prolactin pulses with naloxone (48%) and nalmefene (24%; P < 0.025) administration. In contrast, 52% of prolactin pulses were concomitant with LH pulses in controls, while naloxone (100%) but not nalmefene (67%) resulted in a significant (P < 0.01) increase in pulse synchrony. The difference observed between naloxone and nalmefene on prolactin-LH pulse synchrony is probably due to differential opioid receptor activity at the pituitary and hypothalamic level. Nalmefene may prove to be useful for exploring the complex neuroendocrine control of LH and prolactin secretion in the human.

Key words: endogenous opioid peptides/luteinizing hormone/nalmefene/naloxone/prolactin

1Present address: Dalhousie University, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 5980 University Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4N1 Canada


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