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Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 56, 1214-1226, Copyright © 1983 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Male sexual development in the monkey. I. Cross-sectional analysis of pulsatile hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular function

BB Bercu, BC Lee, JL Pineda, BE Spiliotis, DW Denman 3d, HJ Hoffman, TJ Brown and HC Sachs

Pulsatile secretion of serum gonadotropins and testosterone was studied in 46 monkeys of varying ages from 9 days of age through adult life. Although some of the hormonal analysis was longitudinal in nature, most comparisons were cross-sectional. On the basis of pulsatile secretory patterns, hCG and GnRH stimulation, skeletal age, testicular volume, and histology, we have arbitrarily defined four developmental age groups: postnatal (less than 7 months), prepubertal or juvenile (7-27 months), pubertal (28-59 months), and adult (greater than or equal to 60 months). In accomplishing the pulsatile studies, blood was withdrawn at 15-min intervals over 24 h without anesthesia using a mobile vest and tether assembly to support an indwelling cannula. GnRH and hCG challenge tests were done on one or more occasions on all animals. Plasma samples were analyzed for concentrations of FSH, LH, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and delta 4-androstenedione by established RIAs and an in vitro bioassay for LH. During the frequent sampling period of 24-h duration for all except postnatal animals, testosterone pulses of large amplitude (up to 8-fold) occurred in postnatal, pubertal, and adult animals. Pulsatile gonadotropin secretion was seen at all ages; however, the highest pulses (up to 15- fold) occurred in prepubertal animals even though this was an infrequent occurrence. Time series analysis techniques were applied for objective statistical characterization of cyclic patterns. Basic rhythms corresponding to 50- to 90-min frequency cycles in gonadotropin secretion were identified. Substantive differences between LH concentrations by bioassay and RIA were seen infrequently. Our findings illustrate that: 1) circulating gonadotropin and testosterone pulses change in amplitude but not necessarily frequency during pubertal development, and 2) primate models are a useful paradym for the longitudinal study of human male sexual development. We conclude that where direct human investigation may be limited, much can be learned by study of these primate surrogates.


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K. J. Suter, C. R. Pohl, and T. M. Plant
The Pattern and Tempo of the Pubertal Reaugmentation of Open-Loop Pulsatile Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Release Assessed Indirectly in the Male Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta)
Endocrinology, June 1, 1998; 139(6): 2774 - 2783.
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