Testicular steroidogeneis in vitro in the rat in response to blinding, pinealectomy and to the addition of melatonin

Melatonin: An Anti-Tumor Agent in Hormone-Dependent Cancers

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a hormone synthesized and secreted by the pineal gland mainly during the night, since light exposure suppresses its production. Initially, an implication of this indoleamine in malignant disease was described in endocrine-responsive breast cancer. Data from several clinical trials and multiple experimental studies performed both in vivo and in vitro have documented that the pineal hormone inhibits endocrine-dependent mammary tumors by interfering with the estrogen signaling-mediated transcription, therefore behaving as a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). Additionally, melatonin regulates the production of estradiol through the control of the enzymes involved in its synthesis, acting as a selective estrogen enzyme modulator (SEEM). Many more mechanisms have been proposed during the past few years, including signaling triggered after activation of the membrane melatonin receptors MT-1 and MT-2, or else intracellular actions targeting molecules such as calmodulin, or binding intranuclear receptors. Similar results have been obtained in prostate (regulation of enzymes involved in androgen synthesis and modulation of androgen receptor levels and activity) and ovary cancer. Thus, tumor metabolism, gene expression, or epigenetic modifications are modulated, cell growth is impaired and angiogenesis and metastasis are inhibited. In the last decade, many more reports have demonstrated that melatonin is a promising adjuvant molecule with many potential beneficial consequences when included in chemotherapy or radiotherapy protocols designed to treat endocrine-responsive tumors. Therefore, in this state-of-the-art review, we aim to compile the knowledge about the oncostatic actions of the indoleamine in hormone-dependent tumors, and the latest findings concerning melatonin actions when administered in combination with radio- or chemotherapy in breast, prostate, and ovary cancers. As melatonin has no toxicity, it may be well deserve to be considered as an endogenously generated agent helpful in cancer prevention and treatment.

Effect of photoperiod and 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA) on the reproduction of male Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii)

Plant secondary metabolite 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA) has been suggested to stimulate animal reproduction. 6-MBOA is detected in Leymus chinensis, a main diet of Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii). We have previously reported a stimulatory effect of 6-MBOA on reproduction of male Brandt's voles under a short-day photoperiod. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of 6-MBOA on reproductive physiology of male Brandt's voles under a long-day photoperiod and examine if 6-MBOA under this photoperiodic regime altered the reproductive status of male Brandt's voles differently than the short-day photoperiod. Under the long-day photoperiod, a high dose of 6-MBOA decreased KiSS-1 mRNA in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), and we also saw a decrease in circulating levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone (T). Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and cytochrome P450_11a1 (CYP11a1) in the testes, and relative testis weight also decreased with 6-MBOA administration. Compared to the short-day photoperiod, animals under the long-day photoperiod exhibited increased body weight as well as all other reproductive parameters. Our results showed that 6-MBOA inhibited the reproduction of male Brandt's vole under a long-day photoperiod, a stark contrast from its stimulatory effects under a short-day photoperiod. The paradoxical effects of 6-MBOA suggest it may act as a partial agonist of melatonin. These results provide insight into the complex interactions between environmental factors such as photoperiod and diet in the control of Brandt's vole reproduction.

Reproductive responses of male Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) to 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA) under short photoperiod

The plant secondary metabolite 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA) can stimulate and enhance animal reproduction. This compound has been successfully detected in Leymus chinensis, which is the main diet of Brandt's voles. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different 6-MBOA doses on the reproductive physiology of male Brandt's voles under a short photoperiod. The results showed that 6-MBOA administration increased relative testis weight, regardless of the dose, but it had little effect on the body mass. Low and middle doses of 6-MBOA increased the concentrations of luteinizing hormone and testosterone in the serum and the mRNA levels of StAR and CYP11a1 in the testes. However, 6-MBOA did not cause any significant increase in the mRNA levels of KiSS-1, GPR54, and GnRH compared to those in the control group. The mRNA level of KiSS-1 in the arcuate nucleus (ARC) was higher than that in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV). Collectively, our results demonstrated that the number of KiSS-1-expressing neurons located in the ARC was the highest, and that 6-MBOA, which might modulate the reproductive activity along the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, had a dose-dependent stimulatory effect on the reproductive activity of Brandt's voles under a short photoperiod. Our study provided insights into the mechanism of 6-MBOA action and the factors influencing the onset of reproduction in Brandt's voles.

Identification and characterization of 2[125I]-iodomelatonin binding sites in the rat epididymis

Putative melatonin receptors in different parts of the male reproductive system of rats (Sprague-Dawley), mice (ICR), hamsters (Syrian) and guinea pigs (Dunkin-Hartley), rat epididymal sperm, and boar and human semen were studied by a radioreceptor assay using 2[125I]iodomelatonin as the radioligand. There was limited or no detectable binding of 2[125I]iodomelatonin to membrane preparations of rat testis, seminal vesicles, prostate, or sperm from rat, human, and boar. However, significant bindings of 2[125I]iodomelatonin to the epididymides of rat, mouse, hamster, and guinea-pig were demonstrated. The relative binding capacities of 2[125I]iodomelatonin to the distal epididymal segment in different rodent species was of the order rat mouse hamster guinea pig. The relative number of binding sites was much lower in the proximal segment than in the distal segment of epididymis. 2[125I]iodomelatonin binding to the distal segment of rat epididymis was studied in detail. The binding sites fulfilled all criteria for a receptor site; being stable, saturable, reversible, and of high affinity. The binding had an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of 62.6 +/- 7.79 pmol/l (n = 7) and a density (Bmax) of 1.55 +/- 0.16 fmol/mg protein (n = 7). The Hill coefficient approached 1.0, suggesting a single class of 2[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites. Pharmacological studies revealed that these 2[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites were specific for melatonin receptors. In addition, there was an age-related change in the 2[125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in the rat distal epididymal segment. The binding increased from a lower value in 1-month-old rats to a higher adult value in the 1 1/2- to 24-month-old animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Localization and characterization of [125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in duck gonads

The characterization and localization of [125I]iodomelatonin binding sites in the gonads advances the understanding of possible regulatory sites of melatonin action. With the availability of [125I]iodomelatonin as a biologically active radioligand, our study utilized a combined approach of autoradiography for anatomical resolution together with an established radioligand binding assay to assess mid-light [125I]iodomelatonin binding in the testes and ovaries of ducks. In the autoradiography study, specific [125I]iodomelatonin binding was shown to be homogeneous throughout the testes, while in the ovaries, specific [125I]iodomelatonin binding appeared to be concentrated around the follicle. Radioligand binding assay results indicated a single class of binding sites with the maximum number of [125I]iodomelatonin binding sites measured at 1.91 +/- 0.70 fmol/mg protein in testicular membrane and 4.54 +/- 0.64 fmol/mg protein in ovarian membrane. [125I]Iodomelatonin binding affinity, characterized by equilibrium dissociation constants of 29 +/- 6 pmol/L in testicular membrane and 53 +/- 9 pmol/L in ovarian membrane, was in accordance with circulating melatonin levels, suggesting an appropriate concentration for eliciting a physiological response. [125I]Iodomelatonin binding in duck gonads satisfied all the criteria for a binding site, being rapid, stable, saturable, reversible, specific, and of high affinity, and may indicate a direct pineal-gonadal connection.

Melatonin and aromatase stimulating activity of human seminal plasma

Melatonin concentrations and aromatase stimulating activity were determined in human seminal plasma and correlated with sperm density and motility. Aromatase stimulating activity was determined with an in vitro rat granulosa cell system and melatonin by radioimmunoassay. Compared to normal semen, aromatase stimulating activity was lower in azoospermic individuals, while melatonin was higher in oligospermic and azoospermic samples. Aromatase stimulating activity correlated positively with sperm concentrations and a negative correlation was found between melatonin and sperm progression. These findings suggest that low sperm production is associated with low aromatase stimulating bioactivity in seminal plasma; and melatonin may have an effect upon both sperm production and motility.

Retention and metabolic fate of [3H]-melatonin in the spotted skunk

Two experiments were designed to determine which tissues accumulate [3H]-melatonin and the metabolic fate of this hormone in the spotted skunk. Tritiated melatonin was injected into the jugular vein of 10 anesthetized skunks 1-3 h before the onset of darkness and allowed to circulate for 22 min before the vasculature was flushed with saline to clear radioactivity from the blood. Selected tissues were removed from five skunks and oxidized in a Packard Biological Oxidizer which yielded 95 +/- 5% recovery of radioactivity. Relatively high amounts of radioactivity were found in the pineal (367 +/- 304 dpm/mg tissue), ovary (69 +/- 38 dpm/mg), pituitary (89 +/- 56 dpm/mg), liver (107 +/- 29 dpm/mg), and kidney (63 +/- 15 dpm/mg). Relatively small amounts of [3H] were found in different brain regions (approximately 6-7 dpm/mg). The uterus, pancreas, and temporalis muscle also accumulated radioactivity (approximately 13 dpm/mg). The lung retained the least amount of radioactivity (4 +/- 1.3 dpm/mg). In the second experiment, hypothalami, pituitaries, and ovaries were removed from the remaining five females. Radioactivity from these tissues was extracted and subjected to thin-layer chromatography. Melatonin accounted for approximately 70% of the radioactivity recovered while 6-hydroxymelatonin and unidentified more polar compounds made up the majority of the melatonin metabolites. These data indicate that tissues other than the hypothalamus are able to accumulate [3H]-melatonin.

Stereological changes in rat ventral prostate induced by melatonin

Effects of melatonin on the ventral prostate of castrated rats supplemented with testosterone were studied using light microscopy. Stereological measurements were made of volume fractions of acini and stroma and surface fractions of glandular epithelium. From these figures and the weights of the glands, the volumes and surface areas were calculated, as well as the mean epithelial heights, mean acinar diameters, and mean distances between glandular acini. Doses of melatonin were varied, to verify its physiological and pharmacological effects. Castration without hormonal treatments produced atrophic changes, with decreases in acinar and stromal volume and widenings in the mean distances between the acini. None of these measurements differed among intact controls, sham-operated controls, and testosterone-supplemented castrated rats. In the castrated rats receiving both testosterone and melatonin, however, there were changes according to the doses of melatonin given. The animals receiving low doses of melatonin (50 and 400 micrograms daily) showed significant decreases in the volumes of the stroma and epithelium and the height of the epithelium. These stereological changes occurred without a significant reduction in the prostatic weights. The animals receiving the higher dose (800 micrograms daily) of melatonin showed no difference in any measurement compared with those of the testosterone-supplemented castrated rats. In rats receiving 2,000 micrograms of melatonin daily, there were significant reductions in the weights of the prostates and the volumes of the acini. These results suggest a direct action of melatonin on the ventral prostate, and the effects depend on the dose given.

Mechanisms involved in the action of serotonin-induced stimulation of progesterone production by bovine luteal cells in vitro

Serotonin (5-HT)-induced stimulation or progesterone (P4) production by bovine luteal cells was characterized with respect to the receptor subtype mediating this response, the steroidogenic response to 5-HT metabolites, the role of adenylate cyclase, and the 5-HT concentration of bovine luteal tissue. Addition of 5-HT (10(-5) M) stimulated the production of P4 (P less than 0.05) and this stimulation was inhibited by the 5-HT antagonist mianserin at a concentration of 10(-5) M (P less than 0.05), but not at a mianserin concentration of 10(-7) M. Additionally, the response to 5-HT could not be inhibited by ketanserin (10(-5) M), a 5-HT2 receptor antagonist. Incubation of luteal cells with a specific 5-HT1 agonist, (+/-)-8-hydroxydipropylaminotetralin HBr (DPAT) (10(-4) M), stimulated the production of P4 (P less than 0.05) and this response could not be blocked by mianserin at 10(-7) M or by ketanserin, but was inhibited by mianserin at 10(-5) (P less than 0.05). The addition of the 5-HT metabolite 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MTA) stimulated P4 production (P less than 0.05) and this response could be inhibited by mianserin (10(-5) M, P less than 0.05). Neither, N-acetyl-5-HT nor 5-methoxytryptophan significantly affected P4 production. The addition of the phosphodiesterase inhibitor 3-isobutyl-methylxanthine (IBMX, 0.1 mM) potentiated the effects of 5-HT and DPAT (P less than 0.05), but this effect was additive rather than synergistic. In contrast, the addition of luteinizing hormone (10 ng/ml) plus IBMX resulted in a significant synergistic response (P less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Effect of melatonin in vivo upon FSH and LH release from hamster pituitary glands

The effect of chronic daily afternoon injections of melatonin upon basal and melatonin-modulated release of FSH and LH was investigated in superfused hamster anterior pituitary glands. The basal release rate of both FSH and LH began to decline following the beginning of melatonin injections, and reached a nadir after six weeks. Basal release rate of FSH and LH then began to spontaneously increase and reached a plateau at 13 weeks of injections. The inhibition by melatonin upon FSH and LH release in vitro gradually declined during the period of melatonin injections. After six weeks of melatonin injections the release rate of FSH was no longer suppressed by melatonin superfusion, while the release rate of LH became refractory to melatonin suppression in vitro after nine weeks of melatonin injections. These results demonstrate a change in the release rates of both basal and melatonin-inhibited gonadotropin release during melatonin-induced testicular regression and recrudescence in hamsters.

Retention of radioactive substances in the hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, and reproductive organs of male rats after 3H-melatonin administration

Radioactive concentrations were determined in serum, lung, hypothalamus, anterior pituitary, testis, and accessory sex organs of adult male rats at 2, 20, 30 and 60 min after intravenous 3H-melatonin administrations. The retention patterns of 3H-melatonin and other radioactive substance (3H-non-melatonin) in these tissues were compared. The anterior pituitary demonstrated best tissue retention with highest concentration of 3H-melatonin. The testis and prostate gland accumulated 3H-non-melatonin in an increasing manner from 2 to 60 min. The radioactive substances were also preferentially and progressively located in the nuclear fraction of the anterior pituitary, hypothalamus, testis, and prostate gland. This study leads to the following suggestions: the anterior pituitary is another target organ of melatonin; melatonin is converted into other active material which exerts its action in the testis and prostate gland; melatonin and its active derivative exert their action through the nuclei of their respective cells.

Circadian rhythm of lactate dehydrogenase in rat testis

Activity of total lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and of the isozyme X (LDH X or C4) have been determined at 2 hr intervals during 24 hr cycles in testis of adult rats maintained since birth in a photoperiod of 14 hr light: 10 hr dark. LDH X activity of epididymal sections (caput, corpus and cauda) from the same animals was also determined. Total LDH and LDH X activities in testis exhibited circadian rhythms with different timing. LDH X in the three portions of epididymis showed diurnal variations similar to those in testis. Rats subjected to constant light or constant dark presented marked modifications of LDH X profiles, indicating that the photoperiod plays a synchronizer role. While total soluble proteins did not show variations in testis of rats exposed to the photoperiod, a circadian rhythm was demonstrated in animals maintained in constant light or dark.

Role of the pineal gland in the regulation of prostatic androgen receptors in pubertal and mature rats

The effects of exposure to continuous light, continuous darkness, and administration of melatonin on prostatic androgen receptors in relation to pubertal development in rats were examined. Darkness produced dissimilar results between the pubertal and adult groups. Whereas the prostate weight in the pubertal group remained unaltered, it increased in the adult group. In the pubertal group exposed to darkness, plasma melatonin increased significantly, and androgen receptors declined, whereas in the adult group these receptors rose significantly with a simultaneous increment of melatonin concentration in plasma. Exposure to continuous light did not produce any effective alterations in the parameters examined. The afternoon melatonin administration showed trends similar to those seen in animals exposed to darkness. The results indicate that exposure to darkness or administration of melatonin both have age-dependent effects on prostatic androgen receptors. Exposure to darkness may interfere with the process of sexual maturation in the pubertal animal as a result of increased melatonin production.

Acetylcholine, melatonin, and potassium depolarization stimulate release of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone from rat hypothalamus in vitro

We have examined the release of radioimmunoassayable luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) from fragments of rat medial basal hypothalamus. These fragments were cultured overnight in medium containing serum and then preincubated in groups of three for 10 min in medium resembling cerebrospinal fluid in its electrolyte constituents and containing bacitracin. This was followed by 30-min incubation periods during which some of the hypothalami were exposed to test substances. Potassium depolarization, effected by the addition of 56 mM potassium chloride to the incubation medium, caused a marked stimulation in LH-RH release, but only in the presence of calcium. Acetylcholine at 10 nM and the parasympathomimetic anticholinesterase agent neostigmine at 1 microM markedly stimulated LH-RH release. Hexamethonium, a nicotinic antagonist, at 1 microM abolished the acetylcholine-induced increment in LH-RH release. Melatonin, a pineal indolamine, caused significant stimulation of LH-RH release at a concentration as low as 10 nM. Bacitracin (21 microM) was employed in all these experiments. It had no effect on LH-RH release but did prevent the degradation of LH-RH in this system. We conclude that acetylcholine and melatonin are capable of inducing LH-RH release from the rat medial basal hypothalamus. These actions may account for some of the progonadotropic properties previously ascribed to these agents.

The pineal gland of the mole (Talpa europaea L.). VII. Activity of hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase (HIOMT) in the formation of 5-methoxytryptophan, 5-methoxytryptamine, 5-methoxyindole-3-acetic acid, 5-methoxytryptophol and melantonin in the eyes and the pineal gland

Using a method in which no substrate is added to the incubation medium, the capacity of HIOMT to synthesize 5-methoxytryptophan, 5-methoxytryptamine, 5-methoxyindole-3-acetic acid, 5-methoxytryptophol and melatonin has been determined in the pineal and the eyes of the mole, a mammal having an atrophied visual system. The results demonstrate that the indoleamine metabolism in the retina is similar to the indoleamine metabolism in the pineal. Moreover, in all animals studied both eyes together synthesize 2 to 30 times more of 5-methoxyindoles than the pineal, a result which proves again that the pineal is not the only and not always the most important source of 5-methoxyindoles. With the exception of 5-methoxyindole-3-acetic acid, the synthesis of which is practically neglectable, the production of all other 5-methoxyindoles in the pineal as well as in the retinae is always larger than that of melatonin. In the pineal, 5-methoxytryptophan, for example, is synthesized in a quantity which is 60 to 170 times larger than that of melatonin, while in the retinae the synthesized amount of 5-methoxytryptophan is even 60 to 1000 times larger than that of melatonin.

Hypothalamic cuts suggest a brain site for the antigonadotrophic action of melatonin in the Syrian hamster

Thrice daily melatonin injections inhibit reproductive functions in pinealectomized male hamsters, as measured by sex organ weights and plasma testosterone levels. Total or anterior, but not posterior, hypothalamic deafferentation prevented the antigonadotrophic effect of melatonin. The findings suggest a site of action of melatonin within the central nervous system.

The independency of an intact pineal gland of the inhibition by 5-methoxytryptamine of the reproductive organs in the male hamster

Subcutaneous injections fo 25 micrograms of 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MT) in oil into intact and pinealectomized male hamsters given between 4.30 p.m. and 5 p.m. (light on from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.; 14 L/10 D) for 54 consecutive days caused involution of the testes. 5-MT, however, is more effective when the pineal is present. These results indicate that melatonin is not the only pineal factor inducing gonadal atrophy in the hamster. 5-MT seems even more effective than melatonin in so far as it is, contrary to melatonin under the same experimental conditions, also effective in the absence of the pineal. Like melatonin, 5-MT appears to be implicated in the control of the reproductive function.

Circadian rhythmicity of the activity of hydroxyindole-O-methyl transferase (HIOMT) in the formation of melatonin and 5-methoxytryptophol in the pineal, retina, and harderian gland of the golden hamster

The day and night rhythms in the activity of HIOMT in the formation of melatonin of 5-methoxytryptophol have been determined in the pineal, retina and Harderian gland of the adult male golden hamster. In all hamsters used there was no detectable HIOMT activity in the deep pineal. In the superficial pineal HIOMT activity, involved in the synthesis of melatonin (Mel), was observed to be high at the end of the dark period and at the middle of the light period. Considering the HIOMT activity involved in the production of 5-methoxytryptophol (5-MTL), an increase in 5-MTL synthesis was observed only during the light period. Comparing the peak of Mel-production with that of 5-MTL it appears that during the light period the pineal produces more 5-MTL than Mel. In the Harderian glands, the circadian course of HIOMT activity involved in the synthesis of Mel seems to run parallel to that of the enzyme implicated in 5-MTL synthesis, both being stimulated at the end of the dark period. The activity of HIOMT in 5-MTL production is, however, always approximately 2 times higher than for Mel synthesis. In the retina the synthesis of Mel and 5-MTL is not significantly higher during the dark period than during the light period. However, the production of 5-MTL is larger than that of Mel. It appears that (1) with the exception of the end of the dark period, the extra-pineal synthesis of Mel and 5-MTL is always higher than that in the pineal; (2) the carcadian synthesis of 5-methoxyindoles is different in each organ, and (3) in the pineal the carcadian activity of HIOMT involved in 5-MTL formation is different from that of the same enzyme involved in the formation of Mel. The results are discussed.

Inhibition of testicular androgenesis by urinary gonadotropin-inhibiting substances in rats

The effect of urinary gonadotropin-inhibiting substances (GIS) on the androgen synthesis in rat testes was studied in vitro and in vivo. GIS, which was added to the incubation medium containing tesased testicular tissues and injected into rats for 2 days, showed a suppressive effect on the formation of androstenedione from pregnenolone in the testis.