Continuous Kisspeptin Administration in Postmenopausal Women: Impact of Estradiol on Luteinizing Hormone Secretion
Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: Context: Kisspeptin stimulates the reproductive endocrine cascade in both men and women. Circulating sex steroids are thought to modulate the ability of kisspeptin to stimulate gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) release. Objective: To probe the effects of sex steroids on kisspeptin-stimulated GnRH-induced LH pulses. Participants: Eight healthy postmenopausal women. Intervention: Subjects underwent every-10-minute blood sampling to measure GnRH-induced LH secretion at baseline and in response to a continuous kisspeptin infusion (12.5 µg/kg/h) over 24 hours. A subset of the participants also received kisspeptin (0.313 µg/kg) and GnRH (75 ng/kg) intravenous boluses. Results: Postmenopausal women are resistant to the stimulatory effect of continuous kisspeptin on LH secretion. Postmenopausal women receiving estradiol replacement therapy are also resistant to kisspeptin initially, but they demonstrate a significant increase in LH pulse amplitude in direct proportion to the circulating estradiol concentration and duration of kisspeptin administration. Conclusions: Kisspeptin administration has complex effects on GnRH, and by extension, on LH secretion. The ability of kisspeptin to affect LH secretion can be modulated by the ambient sex-steroid milieu in a time- and dose-dependent manner.
DOI: 10.1210/jc.2016-3952
Language: English
Subfield: Reproductive Medicine
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Catalyst, University of Virginia, National Institutes of Health, National Center for Research Resources, NIH Clinical Center, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: Kisspeptin and Neurokinin B: Physiology in Monkey to Pathophysiology in Human, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (UL1), Kisspeptin Physiology Across Reproductive Development, Harvard Reproductive Endocrine Sciences Center, Kisspeptin Physiology in Human Reproduction, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (UL1)
OpenAlex ID: W2621474182