Hypothalamic-pituitary axis during reproductive aging in mice

Does the degree of endocrine dyscrasia post-reproduction dictate post-reproductive lifespan? Lessons from semelparous and iteroparous species

Post-reproductive lifespan varies greatly among species; human post-reproductive lifespan comprises ~30-50% of their total longevity, while semelparous salmon and dasyurid marsupials post-reproductive lifespan comprises <4% of their total longevity. To examine if the magnitude of hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis dyscrasia at the time of reproductive senescence determines post-reproductive lifespan, we examined the difference between pre- and post-reproductive (1) circulating sex hormones and (2) the ratio of sex steroids to gonadotropins (e.g., 17β-estradiol/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)), an index of the dysregulation of the HPG axis and the level of dyotic (death) signaling post-reproduction. Animals with a shorter post-reproductive lifespan (<4% total longevity) had a more marked decline in circulating sex steroids and corresponding elevation in gonadotropins compared to animals with a longer post-reproductive lifespan (30-60% total longevity). In semelparous female salmon of short post-reproductive lifespan (1%), these divergent changes in circulating hormone concentration post-reproduction equated to a 711-fold decrease in the ratio of 17β-estradiol/FSH between the reproductive and post-reproductive periods. In contrast, the decrease in the ratio of 17β-estradiol/FSH in iteroparous female mammals with long post-reproductive lifespan was significantly less (1.7-34-fold) post-reproduction. Likewise, in male semelparous salmon, the decrease in the ratio of testosterone/FSH (82-fold) was considerably larger than for iteroparous species (1.3-11-fold). These results suggest that (1) organisms with greater reproductive endocrine dyscrasia more rapidly undergo senescence and die, and (2) the contribution post-reproduction by non-gonadal (and perhaps gonadal) tissues to circulating sex hormones dictates post-reproductive tissue health and longevity. In this way, reproduction and longevity are coupled, with the degree of non-gonadal tissue hormone production dictating the rate of somatic tissue demise post-reproduction and the differences in post-reproductive lifespans between species.

Aging-Related Changes in Ovarian Hormones, Their Receptors, and Neuroendocrine Function

Ovarian steroid hormones exert a broad range of effects on the body and brain. In the nervous system, estrogen and progesterone have crucial feedback actions on the hypothalamic neurons that drive the reproductive axis. In addition, hormones exert a variety of actions on other traditionally nonreproductive functions such as cognition, learning and memory, neuroprotection, mood and affective behavior, and locomotor activity. The actions of hormones on the hypothalamus are largely mediated by their nuclear hormone receptors, the two estrogen receptors, ERα and ERβ, and the two progesterone receptor isoforms, PR-A and PR-B. Thus, changes in the circulating concentrations of estrogens and progestins during the life cycle can result in differential activation of their receptors. Furthermore, changes in the numbers, activity, and distribution of hypothalamic ERs and PRs can occur as a function of developmental age. The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the causes and consequences of alterations in steroid hormones, their neural receptors, and their interactions on reproductive senescence. We have also discussed several important experimental design considerations, focusing on rodent models in current use for understanding the mechanisms of menopause in women.

Decreased expression of elastin and lysyl oxidase family genes in urogenital tissues of aging mice

AIM

This study aims to investigate the expression levels of elastin and lysyl oxidase (LOX) family members in the urogenital tissues of natural aging mice and accelerated ovarian aging mice.

METHOD

Uteri, vaginas and bladders were harvested from 18-month-old female mice and accelerated ovarian aging mice developed by chemotherapeutic agents. Untreated 3-month-old female mice were used as controls. The expression levels of elastin and LOX family members were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot.

RESULTS

Compared with untreated young female mice, the expression of elastin and LOX family members significantly decreased both in natural aging mice and accelerated ovarian aging mice.

CONCLUSION

Aging is a high-risk factor for pelvic floor disorders. The failure of elastic fiber synthesis and assembly due to the decline in expression levels of elastin and LOX family members during aging may explain the molecular mechanism causing pelvic floor disorders.

Development of osteoarthritic features in estrogen receptor knockout mice

OBJECTIVE

Estrogens are suggested to play a role in the development of osteoarthritis as indicated by the increased prevalence in women after menopause. We studied whether deletion of the estrogen receptor (ER) alpha, beta, or both in female mice results in cartilage damage, osteophytosis, and changes in subchondral bone of skeletally mature animals.

METHODS

We studied knee joints of 6-month-old female ERalpha-/-, ERbeta-/-, and (double) ERalpha-/-beta-/- mice and their wild type (wt) littermates. The presence and size of osteophytes and osteoarthritic changes in cartilage were analyzed using histology. Changes in subchondral plate and trabecular bone were studied using micro-CT.

RESULTS

In ERalpha-/-beta-/- mice, we observed an increase in number and/or size of osteophytes and thinning of the lateral subchondral plate. However, cartilage damage was not different from wt. In ERalpha-/- or ERbeta-/- mice, no significant differences in cartilage damage score, osteophyte formation, or subchondral plate thickness were found. The bone volume fraction of the epiphyseal trabecular bone was unchanged in ERalpha-/- mice, increased in ERbeta-/- mice, and decreased in ERalpha-/-beta-/- mice.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that deletion of both ERs leads to increased osteophytosis, but deletion of one or both ERs does not lead to overt cartilage damage in 6-month-old mice.

Aging attenuates the pituitary response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone

CONTEXT

Complex changes in GnRH secretion occur with aging in women, but little is known about the effect of aging on the pituitary per se.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to determine whether pituitary responsiveness to GnRH is attenuated with aging.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A GnRH antagonist and graded doses of GnRH were used to isolate pituitary responsiveness in Clinical Research Center studies at an academic medical center.

SUBJECTS

Subjects were healthy postmenopausal women (PMW) aged 48-57 yr (n = 10) or 70-77 yr (n= 9).

INTERVENTIONS

A suppressive dose of the NAL-GLU GnRH antagonist (150 microg/kg sc) was administered and was followed by GnRH doses of 25, 75, 250, or 750 ng/kg iv every 4 h.

RESULTS

The LH response to GnRH was attenuated with aging (P = 0.05) with an interaction between age and dose (P = 0.01) such that the LH amplitude was less in older PMW at the higher doses (250 ng/kg, 50 +/- 9 vs. 29 +/- 4.9 IU/liter, for young and old PMW, respectively, P = 0.02; and 750 ng/kg, 97.7 +/- 11 vs. 70.2 +/- 9.3 IU/liter, P = 0.002), but not the lower doses of GnRH. The FSH response to GnRH was also attenuated with aging in PMW (P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

In studies that isolated the pituitary from endogenous GnRH stimulation, aging attenuated the LH and FSH responses to exogenous GnRH in PMW. These studies indicate that the pituitary plays a role in the decline in gonadotropin levels with aging, further supporting the potential contribution of age-associated changes in both hypothalamic and pituitary function to reproductive senescence.

Failure of elastic fiber homeostasis leads to pelvic floor disorders

Pelvic floor disorders, a group of conditions affecting adult women, include pelvic organ prolapse and urinary incontinence. Vaginal childbirth and aging are risk factors, and weakening of the pelvic support structures is a major aspect of the pathology. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. Female reproductive organs are rich in elastic fibers that turn over slowly in most adult tissues but undergo massive remodeling in the reproductive organs through pregnancy and birth. Here we show that a failure to maintain elastic fiber homeostasis in mice causes pelvic floor disorders. Lysyl oxidase-like-1 (LOXL1), a protein essential for the postnatal deposition of elastic fibers, was highly expressed and regulated in the reproductive tract of the mouse, and its expression was diminished during aging. LOXL1 deficiency caused an inability of reproductive tissues to replenish elastic fibers after parturition, leading to pelvic organ prolapse, weakening of the vaginal wall, paraurethral pathology, and lower urinary tract dysfunction. These data demonstrate the importance of elastic fibers for maintaining structural and functional integrity of the female pelvic floor. Our findings raise the possibility that a failure of elastic fiber homeostasis, either due to genetic predisposition or advancing age, could underlie the etiology of pelvic floor dysfunction in women.

Estrogen and aging affect the subcellular distribution of estrogen receptor-alpha in the hippocampus of female rats

Estrogen replacement increases both the number of dendritic spines and the density of axospinous synapses in the hippocampal CA1 region in young rats, yet this is attenuated in aged rats. The estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-alpha) is localized within select spines of CA1 pyramidal cells in young animals and thus may be involved locally in this process. The present study investigated the effects of estrogen on the ultrastructural distribution of ER-alpha in the CA1 of young (3-4 months) and aged (22-23 months) Sprague Dawley rats using postembedding immunogold electron microscopy. Within dendritic spines, most ER-alpha immunoreactivity (IR) was seen in plasmalemmal and cytoplasmic regions of spine heads, with a smaller proportion within 60 nm of the postsynaptic density. In presynaptic terminals, ER-alpha-IR was clustered and often associated with synaptic vesicles. Significant effects of both aging and estrogen were observed. Quantitative analysis revealed that nonsynaptic pools of ER-alpha-IR within the presynaptic and postsynaptic compartments were decreased (35 and 27%, respectively) in the young estrogen-replaced animals compared with those that received vehicle. Such localized regulation of ER-alpha in response to circulating estrogen levels might directly affect synaptic signaling in CA1 pyramidal cells. No estrogen treatment-related differences were observed in the aged animals. However, 50% fewer spines contained ER-alpha in the aged compared with young hippocampus. These data suggest that the decreased responsiveness of hippocampal synapses to estrogen in aged animals may result from age-related decrements in ER-alpha levels and its subcellular localization vis-à-vis the synapse. Such a role for spinous ER-alpha has important implications for age-related attenuation of estrogen-induced hippocampal plasticity.

Attenuated lesion-induced N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) plasticity in the dentate gyrus of aged rats following perforant path lesions

Young animals demonstrate a significant upregulation of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 1 (NMDAR1) in the outer molecular layer (OML) of the dentate gyrus following a total unilateral ablation of the perforant path, and this response presumably facilitates a degree of functional recovery. Aged animals have attenuated responses to lesion-induced synaptic plasticity as compared with young subjects, and in fact display decreased synaptogenesis and sprouting following a unilateral perforant path lesion. To investigate the response of NMDAR1 in the dentate gyrus of aged animals to perforant path ablation, 24-month-old Sprague-Dawley male rats received a unilateral knife cut of the angular bundle. Our results demonstrated that aged animals displayed a blunted response to lesion-induced NMDA receptor-mediated plasticity, suggesting that aged animals have an impaired ability to respond to deafferentation through an increase in NMDA receptor levels in the deafferented zone.

Length of postovariectomy interval and age, but not estrogen replacement, regulate N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor mRNA levels in the hippocampus of female rats

Estrogens and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors regulate multiple aspects of morphological and functional plasticity in young animals. For example, estrogens increase spine density in the hippocampus, and NMDA antagonists block these effects. Few studies have examined the effects of age, postovariectomy interval, and duration of estrogen replacement in the hippocampus and more specifically on NMDA receptor subunits. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of short- and long-term estrogen replacement or deprivation on mRNA levels of three NMDA receptor subunits, NR1, NR2A, and NR2B, in the hippocampus of aging female Sprague-Dawley rats. Young (3- to 4-month-old) and middle-aged (12- to 13-month-old) rats were ovariectomized for 1 month and then treated with estrogen or vehicle for either 2 days or 2 weeks. Another set of middle-aged and aged (24-to 25-month-old) animals were ovariectomized for 6 months and treated with estrogen or vehicle for 2 days or 2 weeks. RNase protection assay was used to assess changes in the NMDA receptor subunit mRNA levels. Our results demonstrated significant effects of age and length of ovariectomy on NMDA receptor mRNA levels, with little effect of the estrogen status of the animals on these parameters. The largest effect was seen for the length of the postovariectomy interval, with the results demonstrating that rats with a short-term ovariectomy have substantially higher NMDA receptor subunit mRNA levels than animals with long-term ovariectomy. The most dramatic effects of aging were seen for NR1 and NR2B mRNAs in ventral hippocampus, with large age-related increases. These data suggest that age and duration of ovariectomy impact NMDA receptor mRNA levels in the hippocampus, potentially affecting the stoichiometry and/or function of these receptors. These findings have important implications for postmenopausal or hysterectomy/oophorectomy estrogen depletion and replacement in humans.

Different modes of hippocampal plasticity in response to estrogen in young and aged female rats

Estrogen regulates hippocampal dendritic spine density and synapse number in an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent manner, and these effects may be of particular importance in the context of age-related changes in endocrine status. We investigated estrogen's effects on axospinous synapse density and the synaptic distribution of the NMDA receptor subunit, NR1, within the context of aging. Although estrogen induced an increase in axospinous synapse density in young animals, it did not alter the synaptic representation of NR1, in that the amount of NR1 per synapse was equivalent across groups. Estrogen replacement in aged female rats failed to increase axospinous synapse density; however, estrogen up-regulated synaptic NR1 compared with aged animals with no estrogen. Therefore, the young and aged hippocampi react differently to estrogen replacement, with the aged animals unable to mount a plasticity response generating additional synapses, yet responsive to estrogen with respect to additional NMDA receptor content per synapse. These findings have important implications for estrogen replacement therapy in the context of aging.

Altered regulation of pituitary luteinizing hormone secretion by GnRH and inhibin in the aged persistent-estrous female rat

The physiologic regulation of pituitary LH secretion is under the direct control of hypothalamic GnRH as well as feedback control via ovarian steroid and peptide hormones. Changes within the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis during reproductive aging lead to the gradual attenuation and the eventual loss of cyclic LH release that is seen in the old persistent-estrous rat. In the following studies, we determined whether changes in the pituitary response to regulation by hypothalamic GnRH and/or ovarian inhibin could be involved in age-related deficits in LH release by examining the direct effect(s) of GnRH and inhibin on LH release in old persistent-estrous (PE) and young female rats using an in vitro pituitary cell culture system. Both pituitary LH content and LH release were significantly lower in PE pituitary cells compared to young pituitary cells. GnRH (10 ng/ml) significantly increased LH release above basal levels in young and PE pituitaries. However, the magnitude of LH release was significantly lower in PE pituitaries compared to young pituitaries. Treatment with recombinant inhibin (0.1, 1, or 5 ng/ml) did not significantly affect basal or GnRH-stimulated LH release from young rat pituitaries under our culture conditions. In contrast, there were significant decreases in the levels of both basal LH and GnRH-stimulated LH release from PE pituitaries after treatment with 1 or 5 ng/ml human recombinant inhibin, as well as with inhibin plus 10 ng/ml GnRH, respectively. These results suggest that there are significant changes in the pituitary response to GnRH and ovarian inhibin regulation that may lead to significant alterations in LH secretion during aging.

The effects of age on the postreceptor regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion by gonadotropin-releasing hormone

We studied the effects of age on the roles of phosphoinositide (PI) and protein kinase C (PKC) in luteinizing hormone (LH) release by gonadotropin-releasing hormone from mouse pituitaries. Pituitary cells from intact and 14-day ovariectomized (OVX) mice aged 4-8 months, 10-12 months and 14-18 months were cultured at a dilution of 3 x 10(5) cells/ml of M199-bovine serum albumin medium for 3 days prior to stimulation with either buserelin or phorbol ester (phorbol myristate acetate, PMA), while LH was assayed by radioimmunoassay using anti-rat LH antibody (NIDDK-5-10). In intact young mice, buserelin and PMA specifically induced time- and dose-dependent increases in LH release with specific mean ED50 of 0.82 x 10(-11) M (buserelin) and of 1.6 x 10(-8) M (PMA) and a maximal LH release of 138 +/- 15 ng/10(6) cells after a 3 h stimulation period. Age did not affect the ED50 of either agonist but significantly reduced their ability to release LH. This reduction was more pronounced for buserelin than for PMA and was evident as early as middle-age. OVX resulted in a significant increase in both basal and stimulated LH release, but did not affect the age-related reduced secretion rate of LH by either agonist. Buserelin stimulated the incorporation of [3H]inositol into [3H]inositol phosphates (IP) in a dose-dependent manner, which was unaffected by either age or OVX. We conclude that, with aging, there occurs a reduced LH release rate to both buserelin and PKC stimulations, uncoupled to changes in PI-IP cycle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)