Skip Navigation


Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on December 18, 2008
Human Reproduction 2009 24(4):976-981; doi:10.1093/humrep/den458
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF )
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
24/4/976    most recent
den458v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Messini, C. I.
Right arrow Articles by Messinis, I. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Messini, C. I.
Right arrow Articles by Messinis, I. E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Effect of ghrelin on gonadotrophin secretion in women during the menstrual cycle

Christina I. Messini1, Konstantinos Dafopoulos1, Nektarios Chalvatzas1, Panagiotis Georgoulias2 and Ioannis E. Messinis1,3

1 Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Thessalia 41110, Larissa, Greece 2 Nuclear Medicine, Medical School, University of Thessalia, 41110 Larissa, Greece

3 Correspondence address. Tel: +30-2410682795; Fax: +30-2410670096; E-mail: messinis{at}med.uth.gr

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that ghrelin may affect reproduction in animals by decreasing pituitary LH secretion. The role of ghrelin on LH secretion in women has not been investigated. Our aim was to assess the effect of ghrelin administration on basal and GnRH-induced LH secretion during the menstrual cycle.

METHODS: Normally cycling women (n = 10) received on Day 3 of three consecutive cycles a single bolus i.v. of either ghrelin (1 µg/kg, cycle 1) or GnRH (100 µg, cycle 2) or GnRH plus ghrelin (cycle 3). In cycle 1, ghrelin was also injected in late follicular and mid-luteal phase of the cycle. Saline was injected in a preceding cycle (cycle 1, control). Blood samples were taken before drugs or saline injection (time 0) as well as at –15, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 90 and 120 min.

RESULTS: Plasma ghrelin levels increased rapidly, peaking at 15 or 30 min (P < 0.001), then decreased steadily, approaching pre-injection levels at 120 min. Serum FSH, LH, estradiol and progesterone levels remained unchanged. The stimulating effect of GnRH on LH and FSH secretion was unaffected by ghrelin injection. In contrast to saline, ghrelin stimulated a significant increase in growth hormone levels.

CONCLUSIONS: Under these experimental conditions, our results demonstrate for the first time the inability of a bolus of ghrelin to affect basal and GnRH-induced LH and FSH secretion. It is suggested that ghrelin does not play a major physiological role in gonadotrophin secretion in women.

Key words: ghrelin/FSH/LH/GnRH/women

Submitted on September 5, 2008; resubmitted on October 31, 2008; accepted on November 15, 2008.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.