Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Vol 67, 455-459, Copyright © 1988 by Endocrine Society

ARTICLES

Decreased serum inhibin levels in normal elderly men: evidence for a decline in Sertoli cell function with aging

JS Tenover, RI McLachlan, KD Dahl, HG Burger, DM de Kretser and WJ Bremner
Medical Service, Seattle Veterans Administration Medical Center, Washington.

Compared to young men, normal elderly men have decreased sperm production despite elevated serum gonadotropin levels. To determine whether the seminiferous tubule defect in elderly men includes decreased Sertoli cell function, we measured serum immunoreactive inhibin concentrations in young and elderly men before and after clomiphene citrate (CC) administration. Thirty-eight healthy men, 19 young (aged 22-35 yr) and 19 elderly (aged 65-85 yr), were studied before CC administration. The mean baseline serum inhibin level was significantly lower (P less than 0.001) in the elderly men than in the young men [416 +/- 22 (+/- SE) vs. 588 +/- 30 U/L], while serum immunoreactive FSH and LH levels were higher in the older men, and bioactive FSH levels were similar in the two age groups. Eleven young men and 13 elderly men were studied after 1 week of CC administration. The mean serum inhibin level increased by 71%, from 566 +/- 36 to 970 +/- 82 U/L, in the young men, but it increased by only 24%, from 421 +/- 26 to 520 +/- 38 U/L, in the elderly men. Serum immunoreactive LH and bioactive and immunoreactive FSH concentrations increased to similar levels in both groups after CC administration. We conclude that the seminiferous tubule defect of elderly men includes decreased Sertoli cell function.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. Schlatt, C. R Pohl, J. Ehmcke, and S. Ramaswamy Age-Related Changes in Diurnal Rhythms and Levels of Gonadotropins, Testosterone, and Inhibin B in Male Rhesus Monkeys (Macaca mulatta) Biol Reprod, July 1, 2008; 79(1): 93 - 99. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. J. G. Hellstrom, J. W. Overstreet, S. C. Sikka, J. Denne, S. Ahuja, A. M. Hoover, G. D. Sides, W. H. Cordell, L. M. Harrison, and J. S. Whitaker Semen and Sperm Reference Ranges for Men 45 Years of Age and Older J Androl, May 1, 2006; 27(3): 421 - 428. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Slama, A. Werwatz, O. Boutou, B. Ducot, A. Spira, and W. Hardle Does Male Age Affect the Risk of Spontaneous Abortion? An Approach Using Semiparametric Regression Am. J. Epidemiol., May 1, 2003; 157(9): 815 - 824. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Matsumoto Andropause: Clinical Implications of the Decline in Serum Testosterone Levels With Aging in Men J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci., February 1, 2002; 57(2): M76 - 99. [Full Text]

				V. Syed and N. B. Hecht Selective Loss of Sertoli Cell and Germ Cell Function Leads to a Disruption in Sertoli Cell-Germ Cell Communication During Aging in the Brown Norway Rat Biol Reprod, January 1, 2001; 64(1): 107 - 112. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. D. Veldhuis, A. Iranmanesh, E. Samojlik, and R. J. Urban Differential Sex Steroid Negative Feedback Regulation of Pulsatile Follicle-Stimulating Hormone Secretion in Healthy Older Men: Deconvolution Analysis and Steady- State Sex-Steroid Hormone Infusions in Frequently Sampled Healthy Older Individuals J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., April 1, 1997; 82(4): 1248 - 1254. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]