Response to Gonadotrophins in Mature and Immature Diabetic Female Rats**Supported by Grants 2305 and 4543 from the Consejo Nacional de Investiganciones Científicas y Técnicas and by Grant M 66.0126 from the Population Council

Effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on phosphodiesterase activity in rat luteal cells

The present studies were carried out to characterize the cAMP-phosphodiesterase enzyme (PDE) in luteal cells recovered from pseudopregnant rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. A significant increase in the specific activity of the enzyme was detected in luteal cells from diabetic rats (Group D) with respect to control rats (Group C). This increase could not be prevented by insulin therapy (Group I). Luteal cells from Groups C and D rats responded in vitro to insulin by increasing their PDE activity (% of stimulus of specific activity: C = 75%, D = 110%). However, in cells isolated from Group I, the hormone caused an inhibition of PDE activity (% of inhibition of specific activity: 48%). When cytosolic fractions from Groups C, D and I were submitted to ion exchange chromatography, two PDE activity peaks could be observed and the activity of the different fractions was increased in the presence of Ca2+ and calmodulin. Nevertheless, the Ca(2+)-calmodulin effect was much lower in the extracts from Groups D and I than for controls. Kinetic studies of luteal PDE showed nonlinear Lineweaver-Burk graphs with two apparent ATP hydrolysis sites. Similar K(m) values were found for PDE from groups C, D, and I, whereas the Vmax2 for the enzyme was higher in Groups D and I. The endogenous concentration of cAMP, measured by RIA, showed no significant differences among Groups C, D, and I. On the basis of these results, we conclude that the specific activity of PDE is significantly increased in luteal cells from streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals, which could explain the previously described reduction in LH-stimulated progesterone production by luteal cells in diabetic rats.

Diabetes prevents the normal responses of the ovary to FSH

FSH in vitro stimulates increased oxygen uptake by isolated follicular granulosa cells from immature rats treated with diethylstilbestrol (DES) when substrates are present (glucose, glutamate, pyruvate or fumerate) or are completely absent. However, when glucose is the only substrate or when any single substrate is omitted from the buffer, FSH has no effect. FSH in vitro also increases the uptake of glucose and the formation of 14CO2 from [1-6 14C]-glucose. Granulosa cells from diabetic immature rats treated with DES did not show increased oxygen uptake with in vitro FSH. Diabetic cells had similar receptor binding of FSH to that of control non-diabetic cells. The addition of both insulin and FSH in vitro to buffer with diabetic granulosa cells gave increased oxygen uptake over that of control cells from diabetic rats. The insulin stimulation of oxygen uptake by FSH in cells from diabetic rats was not duplicated by either epidermal growth factor (EGF) or insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-1). Follicle counts of ovaries from diabetic and control immature rats treated with DES showed increased atresia in the diabetic ovaries after only 44 hr. of diabetes. Follicle counts of ovaries from adult diabetic rats showed increased atresia in 24 hours after induction of diabetes at proestrus. Follicle counts of pseudopregnant rats showed increased atresia by 3 days after diabetes was induced. We conclude that diabetes prevents normal follicle growth stimulated either by exogenous DES or by endogenous hormones secreted during proestrus.

The effect of ovarian function on insulin-like growth factor I plasma levels and hepatic IGF-I mRNA levels in diabetic rats treated with insulin

When insulin was administered to streptozotocin-induced diabetic female rats, the percentage of glycohemoglobin, growth rate, ovulatory cycle, uterus to body weight ratio, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) level returned to near normal. In untreated diabetic rats there were no normal estrous cycles, and hepatic IGF-I mRNA (7.94 +/- 1.02 O.D. units per micrograms total RNA) levels were significantly lower than the control or insulin-treated groups in proestrus (16.47 +/- 0.91 and 17.15 +/- 1.84, respectively). Insulin therapy restored the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis with the reinstitution of normal estrous cycles. Plasma IGF-I levels were highest in non-diabetic proestrous animals (277 +/- 36.9 ng/ml), significantly higher than IGF-I levels in insulin-treated diabetic rats in diestrus (174 +/- 23.1 ng/ml), non-diabetic diestrus rats (165 +/- 18.4 ng/ml) and untreated diabetic rats (135 +/- 19.7 ng/ml). Plasma IGF-I levels were elevated in insulin-treated diabetic rats in proestrus (221 +/- 78.3 ng/ml), however this was not significantly different from any other group. The increases observed in plasma IGF-I and hepatic IGF-I mRNA after insulin therapy correlate with the normalization of sex hormone secretion. Though this study does not prove a causal relationship between restoration of ovarian function and normalization of circulating IGF-I levels, a relationship has been established, as evidenced by higher levels of IGF-I in both the control and insulin-treated diabetic proestrous groups when compared to the diestrus groups.

Alloxan-induced hyperglycemia increases progestin and androgen accumulation by isolated rabbit follicles in vitro

Follicles isolated from Alloxan-treated rabbits and incubated in vitro, accumulated more progesterone and testosterone than those from saline-treated rabbits. LH augmented the accumulation of these 2 steroids. By contrast, the estradiol response to LH stimulation by follicles from Alloxan-induced hyperglycemic rabbits was diminished when compared to follicles from saline-treated rabbits. Ovaries from hyperglycemic rabbits also appeared to have more cystic follicles.

Binding of [3H]estradiol by brain cell nuclei and female rat sexual behavior: inhibition by experimental diabetes

In streptozotocin-diabetic female rats acute (24 h) withdrawal of insulin significantly impairs both estradiol + progesterone-induced sexual receptivity and cell nuclear concentration of [3H]estradiol in hypothalamus, preoptic area, and pituitary gland. Omission of insulin treatment for the first 24 h of a 30-h or 54-h estradiol benzoate-conditioning period significantly reduced mean lordosis ratings of ovariectomized-diabetic rats. Insulin withdrawal at the time of progesterone treatment and behavioral testing did not diminish sexual receptivity. One-half or 2 h after an intravenous injection of [3H]estradiol-17beta diabetic rats without insulin exhibited reduced cell nuclear [3H]estradiol concentrations (2 h) and/or diminished cell nuclear/whole homogenate concentration ratios (0.5 and 2 h). Twenty-four hour insulin withdrawal affected neither whole tissue [3H]estradiol uptake nor hypothalamus-preoptic area cytoplasmic estrogen-receptor content. These results: (1) suggest that diminished estradiol binding by target tissue cell nuclei may contribute to the well-known reproductive failures of female diabetics, and (2) support the concept that estradiol acts at the level of brain cell nuclei to induce female sexual behavior.

Metabolism and ultrastructure in ovaries of alloxan-diabetic juvenile rats

Tests were carried out on the influence of alloxan-induced diabetes mellitus on the metabolism and the ultrastructure of ovaries of juvenile rats. The diabetes mellitus caused the following changes in the metabolism: reduction in the concentration of ATP and NADPH, increase in the lactate/pyruvate quotient to above 40, reduction in the ATP/ADP quotient to below 1, reduction in the level of activity of the hydrogen-conveying enzymes G-6-P-dehydrogenase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase, increase in the level of activity of the alkaline phosphatase, reduction of the protein content. Ultrastructure: almost complete disappearance of the rough endoplasmic reticulum, shrinkage of the mitochondria, reduction of the cristae and condensation of the matrix. The smooth endoplasmic reticulum remains unchanged, the extent of the Golgi-complex is reduced. Easy removal of the lipid deposits.