All issues > Volume 36(11); 1993

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1993;36(11):1578-1582. Published online November 15, 1993.

The Effect of Testosterone on the Response of Grow Hormone Secretion in Cultured Rat Pituitary Cells

Ho Seong HS Kim¹, Duk Hi DH Kim², Deok Bae DB Park³

¹Department of Pediatrics, Ewha University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Yonsie University, Seoul, Korea
³Department of Endocrine Laboratory, College of Medicine, Yonsie University, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

The effects of testosterone on the pituitary growth hormone(GH) response directly and to hypothalamic growth hormone-releasing hormone(GHRH) were evaluated in vitro using a male pituitary cell monolayer culture system. Wistar male rats were gonadectomized at 22 days of age, and 21 days later their anterior pituitaries were removed and trypsinized for cell dispersion. Testosterone 0.01, 1.0, 10.0nM was added to the medium for 1 day and GH amounts in media were measured. In another experiment, testosterone 0, 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, 10.0nM was added to the medioum for 3 days, and subsequently 5nM GHRH was added for 1 day, thereafter GH amounts in media were measured. The results were as follows : 1) The increase of GH response after testosterone administration to the cultured rat pituitary cell was not significant. 2) The rat pituitary cell response to GHRH was augmented after pretreatment with testosterone. These results are suggested that testosterone has no direct effect on GH secertion, but by incereasing the pituitary cell response to GHRH, contributes to the regulation of GH secretion in vitro.

Keywords :Testosterone, Rat anterior pituitary, Growth hormone-releasing hormone