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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on October 28, 2004
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/deh519
© 2004 by European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology
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Received March 1, 2004
Revised July 5, 2004
Accepted August 18, 2004

Article

GnRH agonist stimulation of the pituitary-gonadal axis in children: age and sex differences in circulating inhibin-B and activin-A

Daniel D. Elsholz 1, Vasantha Padmanabhan 1, Robert L. Rosenfield 2, Pamela R. Olton 1, David J. Phillips 3, and Carol M. Foster 1*

1 Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0646, USA
2 Department of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60637-1470 USA
3 Institute of Reproduction and Development, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3168 Australia

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Carol M. Foster, E-mail: cmfoster{at}umich.edu


  Abstract

BACKGROUND: Inhibin-B decreases and activin increases FSH secretion in adults. We investigated whether an FSH-inhibin/activin feedback loop exists before or during puberty. METHODS: FSH secretion was stimulated with 10 µg/kg leuprolide acetate (GnRH agonist) in 18 girls, ages 1.0-13.2 years, and 11 boys, ages 8.9-15.2 years, with variations in pubertal development, and in five normal 9- to 10-year-old girls. Blood, obtained at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 and 24 h after GnRH agonist, was analysed for LH, FSH, activin-A, inhibin-A, inhibin-B, follistatin 288 and estradiol/testosterone. RESULTS: FSH increased within 30 min of GnRH agonist administration with a peak greater in girls than boys (P=0.0006). Baseline inhibin-B was greater in boys than girls (P=0.01), while baseline activin-A concentrations were greater in girls. GnRH agonist-stimulated FSH increased inhibin-B in girls by 8 h and in boys by 20 h (P<0.05), but did not affect activin-A. Inhibin-B increases were seen only in girls older than 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: An inhibin-B-FSH feedback loop exists prior to the onset of puberty in girls older than 5 years. Sex differences in activin-A and inhibin-B concentrations may be responsible for sex differences in serum FSH concentrations.

Keywords: FSH; gonadal peptides; inhibin; puberty.
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