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Roelfsema F, Yang R, Veldhuis JD. Interleukin-2 Transiently Inhibits Pulsatile Growth Hormone Secretion in Young but not Older Healthy Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021; 106:2855-2864. [PMID: 34212195 PMCID: PMC8475215 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgab484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Interleukin-2 (IL-2), a proinflammatory cytokine, has been used to treat malignancies. Increased cortisol and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) were noted, but growth hormone (GH) secretion was not investigated in detail. OBJECTIVE We quantified GH secretion after a single subcutaneous injection of IL-2 in 17 young and 18 older healthy men in relation to dose, age, and body composition. METHODS This was a placebo-controlled, blinded, prospectively randomized, crossover study. At 20:00 hours IL-2 (3 or 6 million units/m2) or saline was injected subcutaneously. Lights were off between 23:00 and 07:00 hours. Blood was sampled at 10-minute intervals for 24 hours. Outcome measures included convolution analysis of GH secretion. RESULTS GH profiles were pulsatile under both experimental conditions and lower in older than young volunteers. Since the effect of IL-2 might be time limited, GH analyses were performed on the complete 24-hour series and the 6 hours after IL-2 administration. Total and pulsatile 24-hour GH secretion decreased nonsignificantly. Pulsatile secretion fell over the first 6 hours after IL-2 (P = .03), with visceral fat as a covariate (P = .003), but not age (P = .10). Plots of cumulative 2-hour bins of GH pulse mass showed a distinction by treatment and age groups: A temporary GH decrease of 32% and 28% occurred in the first 2-hour bins after midnight (P = .02 and .04) in young participants, whereas in older individuals no differences were present at any time point. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that IL-2 temporarily diminishes GH secretion in young, but not older, men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical, Center, 2333ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Rebecca Yang
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905,USA
| | - Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905,USA
- Correspondence: Johannes D. Veldhuis, MD, Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
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van der Spoel E, Roelfsema F, van Heemst D. Relationships Between 24-hour LH and Testosterone Concentrations and With Other Pituitary Hormones in Healthy Older Men. J Endocr Soc 2021; 5:bvab075. [PMID: 34337275 PMCID: PMC8315483 DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvab075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To investigate the relationship between LH and testosterone (T), which characteristics associate with the strength of this relationship, and their interrelationships with GH, TSH, cortisol, and ACTH. Design Hormones were measured in serum samples collected every 10 minutes during 24 hours from 20 healthy men, comprising 10 offspring of long-lived families and 10 control subjects, with a mean (SD) age of 65.6 (5.3) years. We performed cross-correlation analyses to assess the relative strength between 2 timeseries for all possible time shifts. Results Mean (95% CI) maximal correlation was 0.21 (0.10-0.31) at lag time of 60 minutes between LH and total T concentrations. Results were comparable for calculated free, bioavailable, or secretion rates of T. Men with strong LH-T cross-correlations had, compared with men with no cross-correlation, lower fat mass (18.5 [14.9-19.7] vs. 22.3 [18.4-29.4] kg), waist circumference (93.6 [5.7] vs. 103.1 [12.0] cm), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (0.7 [0.4-1.3] vs. 1.8 [0.8-12.3] mg/L), IL-6 (0.8 [0.6-1.0] vs. 1.2 [0.9-3.0] pg/mL), and 24-hour mean LH (4.3 [2.0] vs. 6.1 [1.5] U/L), and stronger LH-T feedforward synchrony (1.5 [0.3] vs. 1.9 [0.2]). Furthermore, T was positively cross-correlated with TSH (0.32 [0.21-0.43]), cortisol (0.26 [0.19-0.33]), and ACTH (0.26 [0.19-0.32]). Conclusions LH is followed by T with a delay of 60 minutes in healthy older men. Men with a strong LH-T relationship had more favorable body composition, inflammatory markers, LH levels, and LH-T feedforward synchrony. We observed positive correlations between T and TSH, cortisol, and ACTH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evie van der Spoel
- Section Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Section Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Diana van Heemst
- Section Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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van der Spoel E, Roelfsema F, van Heemst D. Within-Person Variation in Serum Thyrotropin Concentrations: Main Sources, Potential Underlying Biological Mechanisms, and Clinical Implications. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2021; 12:619568. [PMID: 33716972 PMCID: PMC7945716 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2021.619568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals exhibit fluctuations in the concentration of serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) over time. The scale of these variations ranges from minutes to hours, and from months to years. The main factors contributing to the observed within-person fluctuations in serum TSH comprise pulsatile secretion, circadian rhythm, seasonality, and ageing. In clinical practice and clinical research however, such within-person biological variation in serum TSH concentrations is often not considered. The aim of this review is to present an overview of the main sources of within-person variation in TSH levels, as well as the potential underlying biological mechanisms, and the clinical implications. SUMMARY In euthyroid individuals, the circadian rhythm, with a nocturnal surge around 02:00-04:00 h and a nadir during daytime has the greatest impact on variations in serum TSH concentrations. Another source of within-person variation in TSH levels is seasonality, with generally higher levels during the cold winter months. Since TSH is secreted in a pulsatile manner, TSH levels also fluctuate over minutes. Furthermore, elevated TSH levels have been observed with ageing. Other factors that affect TSH levels include thyroid peroxidase (TPO)-antibody positivity, BMI, obesity, smoking, critical illness, and many xenobiotics, including environmental pollutants and drugs. Potential underlying biological mechanisms of within-person variation in TSH levels can be safely concluded from the ability of TSH to respond quickly to changes in cues from the internal or external environment in order to maintain homeostasis. Such cues include the biological clock, environmental temperature, and length of day. The observed increase in TSH level with ageing can be explained at a population level and at an organism level. In clinical practice, the season for thyroid testing can influence a patient's test result and it occurs frequently that subclinical hypothyroid patients normalize to euthyroid levels over time without intervention. CONCLUSIONS Serum TSH concentrations vary over time within an individual, which is caused by multiple different internal and external factors. It is important to take the within-person variations in serum TSH concentrations into account when testing a patient in clinical practice, but also in performing clinical research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evie van der Spoel
- Section Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- *Correspondence: Evie van der Spoel,
| | - Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Section Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Diana van Heemst
- Section Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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Roelfsema F, Liu PY, Yang R, Takahashi P, Veldhuis JD. Interleukin-2 drives cortisol secretion in an age-, dose-, and body composition-dependent way. Endocr Connect 2020; 9:637-648. [PMID: 32520721 PMCID: PMC7424344 DOI: 10.1530/ec-20-0211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interleukin-2 (IL-2), one of the proinflammatory cytokines, is used in the treatment of certain malignancies. In some studies, transient increases in cortisol and ACTH secretion occurred. Thus, this agent may be used as an experimental probe of adrenal cortisol secretion. OBJECTIVE This study quantifies the effects of low and moderate doses of IL-2 on cortisol secretion and assesses the modulation by age, dose and body composition. SITE Mayo Clinical Translational Research Unit. SUBJECTS Study comprised 35 healthy men, 17 young and 18 older. METHODS Randomized prospective double-blind saline-controlled study of IL-2 administration in two doses with concurrent 10-min blood sampling for 24 h. OUTCOME MEASURES Deconvolution analysis and approximate entropy of cortisol secretion. RESULTS Low-dose IL-2 administration increased nocturnal pulsatile cortisol secretion from 1460 ± 160 to 2120 ± 220 nmol/L/8 h in young subjects and from 1680 ± 105 to 1960 ± 125 nmol/L/8 h (treatment P < 0.0001, but more in young than older, P = 0.02). Comparable results were obtained for total cortisol secretion (P treatment <0.0001, age effect P = 0.005). The higher IL-2 dose caused a large increase in young (P < 0.0001), but not in older (P = 0.90) subjects. This dose also increased approximate entropy from 0.877 ± 0.041 to 1.024 ± 0.049 (P = 0.008), pointing to reduced secretory orderliness. Incremental cortisol (nocturnal) secretion correlated negatively with visceral fat mass (R = -0.41, P = 0.019). CONCLUSION In healthy men, IL-2 injection drives pulsatile cortisol secretion in a dose-dependent way in young, but not older, individuals and erodes cortisol secretory orderliness at a higher dose in young subjects. Cortisol responses are diminished with increasing abdominal visceral fat mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Internal Medicine, Section Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Y Liu
- Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Rebecca Yang
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Paul Takahashi
- Primary Care Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Joustra SD, Roelfsema F, van Trotsenburg ASP, Schneider HJ, Kosilek RP, Kroon HM, Logan JG, Butterfield NC, Zhou X, Toufaily C, Bak B, Turgeon MO, Brûlé E, Steyn FJ, Gurnell M, Koulouri O, Le Tissier P, Fontanaud P, Duncan Bassett JH, Williams GR, Oostdijk W, Wit JM, Pereira AM, Biermasz NR, Bernard DJ, Schoenmakers N. IGSF1 Deficiency Results in Human and Murine Somatotrope Neurosecretory Hyperfunction. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2020; 105:5606971. [PMID: 31650157 PMCID: PMC7108761 DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgz093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The X-linked immunoglobulin superfamily, member 1 (IGSF1), gene is highly expressed in the hypothalamus and in pituitary cells of the POU1F1 lineage. Human loss-of-function mutations in IGSF1 cause central hypothyroidism, hypoprolactinemia, and macroorchidism. Additionally, most affected adults exhibit higher than average IGF-1 levels and anecdotal reports describe acromegaloid features in older subjects. However, somatotrope function has not yet been formally evaluated in this condition. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate the role of IGSF1 in human and murine somatotrope function. PATIENTS, DESIGN, AND SETTING We evaluated 21 adult males harboring hemizygous IGSF1 loss-of-function mutations for features of GH excess, in an academic clinical setting. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We compared biochemical and tissue markers of GH excess in patients and controls, including 24-hour GH profile studies in 7 patients. Parallel studies were undertaken in male Igsf1-deficient mice and wild-type littermates. RESULTS IGSF1-deficient adult male patients demonstrated acromegaloid facial features with increased head circumference as well as increased finger soft-tissue thickness. Median serum IGF-1 concentrations were elevated, and 24-hour GH profile studies confirmed 2- to 3-fold increased median basal, pulsatile, and total GH secretion. Male Igsf1-deficient mice also demonstrated features of GH excess with increased lean mass, organ size, and skeletal dimensions and elevated mean circulating IGF-1 and pituitary GH levels. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate somatotrope neurosecretory hyperfunction in IGSF1-deficient humans and mice. These observations define a hitherto uncharacterized role for IGSF1 in somatotropes and indicate that patients with IGSF1 mutations should be evaluated for long-term consequences of increased GH exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sjoerd D Joustra
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Correspondence and Reprint Requests: Nadia Schoenmakers, University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Level 4, Wellcome Trust-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, Box 289, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QQ UK. E-mail:
| | - Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - A S Paul van Trotsenburg
- Emma Children’s Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Pediatric Endocrinology, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Harald J Schneider
- Department of Endocrinology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Robert P Kosilek
- Department of Endocrinology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Herman M Kroon
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - John G Logan
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Natalie C Butterfield
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology & Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Chirine Toufaily
- Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology & Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Beata Bak
- Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology & Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Marc-Olivier Turgeon
- Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology & Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Emilie Brûlé
- Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology & Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Frederik J Steyn
- The University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Mark Gurnell
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Olympia Koulouri
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ UK
| | - Paul Le Tissier
- Centre for Integrative Physiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Pierre Fontanaud
- CNRS, Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, INSERM, and Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - J H Duncan Bassett
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Graham R Williams
- Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Wilma Oostdijk
- Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Jan M Wit
- Department of Pediatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Alberto M Pereira
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Nienke R Biermasz
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Daniel J Bernard
- Departments of Anatomy and Cell Biology & Pharmacology and Therapeutics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Nadia Schoenmakers
- University of Cambridge Metabolic Research Laboratories, Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council Institute of Metabolic Science, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge CB2 0QQ UK
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Grant AD, Wilsterman K, Smarr BL, Kriegsfeld LJ. Evidence for a Coupled Oscillator Model of Endocrine Ultradian Rhythms. J Biol Rhythms 2018; 33:475-496. [PMID: 30132387 DOI: 10.1177/0748730418791423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Whereas long-period temporal structures in endocrine dynamics have been well studied, endocrine rhythms on the scale of hours are relatively unexplored. The study of these ultradian rhythms (URs) has remained nascent, in part, because a theoretical framework unifying ultradian patterns across systems has not been established. The present overview proposes a conceptual coupled oscillator network model of URs in which oscillating hormonal outputs, or nodes, are connected by edges representing the strength of node-node coupling. We propose that variable-strength coupling exists both within and across classic hormonal axes. Because coupled oscillators synchronize, such a model implies that changes across hormonal systems could be inferred by surveying accessible nodes in the network. This implication would at once simplify the study of URs and open new avenues of exploration into conditions affecting coupling. In support of this proposed framework, we review mammalian evidence for (1) URs of the gut-brain axis and the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid, -adrenal, and -gonadal axes, (2) UR coupling within and across these axes; and (3) the relation of these URs to body temperature. URs across these systems exhibit behavior broadly consistent with a coupled oscillator network, maintaining both consistent URs and coupling within and across axes. This model may aid the exploration of mammalian physiology at high temporal resolution and improve the understanding of endocrine system dynamics within individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azure D Grant
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Kathryn Wilsterman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Benjamin L Smarr
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Lance J Kriegsfeld
- The Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, California
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Roelfsema F, van Heemst D, Iranmanesh A, Takahashi P, Yang R, Veldhuis JD. Impact of age, sex and body mass index on cortisol secretion in 143 healthy adults. Endocr Connect 2017; 6:500-509. [PMID: 28760748 PMCID: PMC5597974 DOI: 10.1530/ec-17-0160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 07/31/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Studies on 24-h cortisol secretion are rare. The impact of sex, age and adiposity on cortisol levels, often restricted to one or a few samples, are well recognized, but conflicting. OBJECTIVE To investigate cortisol dynamics in 143 healthy men and women, spanning 7 decades and with a 2-fold body mass index (BMI) range with different analytic tools. SETTING Clinical Research Unit. DESIGN Cortisol concentrations in 10-min samples collected for 24 h. Outcomes were mean levels, deconvolution parameters, approximate entropy (ApEn, regularity statistic) and 24-h rhythms. RESULTS Total 24-h cortisol secretion rates estimated by deconvolution analysis were sex, age and BMI independent. Mean 24-h cortisol concentrations were lower in premenopausal women than those in men of comparable age (176 ± 8.2 vs 217 ± 9.4 nmol/L, P = 0.02), but not in subjects older than 50 years. This was due to lower daytime levels in women, albeit similar in the quiescent overnight period. Aging increased mean cortisol by 10 nmol/L per decade during the quiescent secretory phase and advanced the acrophase of the diurnal rhythm by 24 min/decade. However, total 24-h cortisol secretion rates estimated by deconvolution analysis were sex, age and BMI independent. ApEn of 24-h profiles was higher (more random) in premenopausal women than those in men (1.048 ± 0.025 vs 0.933 ± 0.023, P = 0.001), but not in subjects older than 50 years. ApEn peaked during the daytime. CONCLUSION Sex and age jointly determine the 24-h cortisol secretory profile. Sex effects are largely restricted to age <50 years, whereas age effects elevate concentrations in the late evening and early night and advance the timing of the peak diurnal rhythm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Internal MedicineLeiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Diana van Heemst
- Department of Internal MedicineSection Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ali Iranmanesh
- Endocrine SectionMedical Service, Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salem, Virginia, USA
| | - Paul Takahashi
- Primary Care Internal MedicineMayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Rebecca Yang
- Endocrine Research UnitMayo Medical and Graduate Schools, Clinical Translational Research Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
| | - Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research UnitMayo Medical and Graduate Schools, Clinical Translational Research Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA
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Dias JP, Veldhuis JD, Carlson O, Shardell M, Chia CW, Melvin D, Egan JM, Basaria S. Effects of transdermal testosterone gel or an aromatase inhibitor on serum concentration and pulsatility of growth hormone in older men with age-related low testosterone. Metabolism 2017; 69:143-147. [PMID: 28285644 PMCID: PMC5950718 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2017.01.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2016] [Revised: 12/14/2016] [Accepted: 01/16/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Growth hormone is the major regulator of growth and body composition. Pulsatile GH secretion declines exponentially with age. Testosterone replacement is being increasingly offered to older men with age-related low testosterone. Testosterone administration has been shown to stimulate GH secretion. However, little is known about the effect of testosterone aromatization to estradiol on GH pulsatility and its impact on IGF-1 in older men. OBJECTIVE This randomized controlled proof-of-concept trial investigated the relative effects of testosterone and estradiol on GH pulsatility and IGF-1 in older men with low testosterone. DESIGN Thirty-seven men, ≥65years with total testosterone <350ng/dL were randomized to 5g transdermal testosterone gel (TT), 1mg oral aromatase inhibitor (AI) or placebo daily for 12months. Primary outcome was deconvolution and approximate entropy analyses of pulsatile including basal and entropic modes of secretion performed at baseline and 3months. Secondary outcomes included IGF-1 evaluated at baseline, 3 and 6months. RESULTS At 3months, mean GH and in IGF-1 were similar between the three groups. At 6months, IGF-1 significantly increased by Δ 15.3±10.3ng/ml in the TT-group compared to placebo (P=0.03). Both intervention groups significantly increased GH pulse frequency (TT-group, P=0.04; AI-group, P=0.05) compared to placebo. The GH secretory-burst mode (duration) significantly decreased in the TT-group (P=0.0018) compared to placebo while it remained unchanged in the AI-group (P=0.059). CONCLUSIONS In older men, testosterone increases GH pulse frequency while the aromatization to estradiol is involved in the rise of IGF-1 levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Pena Dias
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States, 21225
| | - Johannes D Veldhuis
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Olga Carlson
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States, 21225
| | - Michelle Shardell
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States, 21225
| | - Chee W Chia
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States, 21225
| | - Denise Melvin
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States, 21225
| | - Josephine M Egan
- Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore, MD, United States, 21225
| | - Shehzad Basaria
- Section on Men's Health, Aging and Metabolism, Brigham and Women's Hospital Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States, 02115.
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Keenan DM, Veldhuis JD. Pulsatility of Hypothalamo-Pituitary Hormones: A Challenge in Quantification. Physiology (Bethesda) 2017; 31:34-50. [PMID: 26674550 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00027.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroendocrine systems control many of the most fundamental physiological processes, e.g., reproduction, growth, adaptations to stress, and metabolism. Each such system involves the hypothalamus, the pituitary, and a specific target gland or organ. In the quantification of the interactions among these components, biostatistical modeling has played an important role. In the present article, five key challenges to an understanding of the interactions of these systems are illustrated and discussed critically.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Keenan
- Department of Statistics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia; and
| | - Johannes D Veldhuis
- Department of Medicine, Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Clinical Translational Science Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
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10
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Miljić D, Polovina S, Doknić M, Pekić S, Stojanović M, Petakov M, Micić D, Popović V. Combined Administration of Ghrelin and Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone in the Diagnosis of Cushing's Disease. Neuroendocrinology 2017; 104:33-39. [PMID: 26836811 DOI: 10.1159/000444281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 01/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Exaggerated adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol responses to ghrelin in Cushing's disease (CD) have previously been reported, similarly to responses to corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). We assessed the ability of ghrelin to enhance ACTH and cortisol responses when added to CRH stimulation in CD patients. METHODS In 21 CD patients (18 females, 3 males; age 49.8 ± 10.2 years; BMI 29.8 ± 0.8) and 8 healthy subjects (7 females, 1 male; age 40.6 ± 5.3 years; BMI 29.9 ± 1.2), we administered (1) ghrelin 100 µg i.v. bolus, (2) CRH 100 µg i.v. bolus, and (3) ghrelin + CRH combination. ACTH and cortisol were analyzed by commercially available kits from samples taken at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90 and 120 min. ACTH and cortisol responses were calculated as peak and area under the curve (AUC0-120 min). RESULTS ACTH and cortisol at baseline and stimulated with ghrelin and/or CRH (peak and AUC0-120 min) were significantly higher in CD patients compared to controls (p < 0.01). ACTH and cortisol responses to ghrelin or CRH were similar in CD patients. Combined ghrelin + CRH administration in CD patients produced the highest ACTH response (peak and AUC0-120 min) compared to ghrelin or CRH alone (p < 0.01). Cortisol responses after ghrelin + CRH were uncoupled with ACTH responses and similar to the response to ghrelin or CRH alone in both groups. ACTH and cortisol responses, during all three tests, were similar in CD patients with micro- or macroadenomas. CONCLUSION Ghrelin administration causes exaggerated ACTH and cortisol responses in CD patients compared to healthy controls. In combination with CRH, it additionally enhances ACTH secretion without further additive effect on cortisol output.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dragana Miljić
- Department of Neuroendocrinology, Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
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Veldhuis J, Yang R, Roelfsema F, Takahashi P. Proinflammatory Cytokine Infusion Attenuates LH's Feedforward on Testosterone Secretion: Modulation by Age. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2016; 101:539-49. [PMID: 26600270 PMCID: PMC4880122 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2015-3611] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT In the experimental animal, inflammatory signals quench LH's feedforward drive of testosterone (T) secretion and appear to impair GnRH-LH output. The degree to which such suppressive effects operate in the human is not known. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that IL-2 impairs LH's feedforward drive on T and T's feedback inhibition of LH secretion in healthy men. SETTING Mayo Center for Translational Science Activities. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 35 healthy men, 17 young and 18 older. INTERVENTIONS Randomized prospective double-blind saline-controlled study of IL-2 infusion in 2 doses with concurrent 10-minute blood sampling for 24 hours. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Deconvolution analysis of LH and T secretion. RESULTS After saline injection, older compared with young men exhibited reduced LH feedforward drive on T secretion (P < .001), and decreased T feedback inhibition of LH secretion (P < .01). After IL-2 injection, LH's feedforward onto T secretion declined markedly especially in young subjects (P < .001). Concomitantly, IL-2 potentiated T's proportional feedback on LH secretion especially in older volunteers. CONCLUSION This investigation confirms combined feedforward and feedback deficits in older relative to young men given saline and demonstrates 1) joint mechanisms by which IL-2 enforces biochemical hypogonadism, viz, combined feedforward block and feedback amplification; and 2) unequal absolute inhibition of T and LH secretion by IL-2 in young and older men. These outcomes establish that the male gonadal axis is susceptible to dual-site suppression by a prototypic inflammatory mediator. Thus, we postulate that selected ILs might also enforce male hypogonadism in chronic systemic inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit (J.V., R.Y.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, and Primary Care Internal Medicine (P.T.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905; and Leiden University Medical Center (F.R.), 2333ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Rebecca Yang
- Endocrine Research Unit (J.V., R.Y.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, and Primary Care Internal Medicine (P.T.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905; and Leiden University Medical Center (F.R.), 2333ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Endocrine Research Unit (J.V., R.Y.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, and Primary Care Internal Medicine (P.T.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905; and Leiden University Medical Center (F.R.), 2333ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Takahashi
- Endocrine Research Unit (J.V., R.Y.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Center for Translational Science Activities, and Primary Care Internal Medicine (P.T.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905; and Leiden University Medical Center (F.R.), 2333ZA Leiden, The Netherlands
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Roelfsema F, Veldhuis JD. Growth Hormone Dynamics in Healthy Adults Are Related to Age and Sex and Strongly Dependent on Body Mass Index. Neuroendocrinology 2016; 103:335-44. [PMID: 26228064 PMCID: PMC4731317 DOI: 10.1159/000438904] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Studies on 24-hour growth hormone (GH) secretion are rare. The influences of sex, age, and adiposity are well recognized but generally derived from specific, selected subject groups, not spanning sexes, many age decades, and a range of body weights. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to investigate GH dynamics in a group of 130 healthy adult subjects, both men and women, across 5 age decades as well as a 2.5-fold range of body mass index (BMI) values. METHODS GH was measured by a sensitive immunofluorometric assay. Secretion parameters were quantified by automated deconvolution and relative pattern randomness by approximate entropy (ApEn). RESULTS The median age was 40 years (range 20-77). The median BMI was 26 (range 18.3-49.8). Pulsatile 24-hour GH secretion was negatively correlated with age (p = 0.002) and BMI (p < 0.0001). Basal GH secretion negatively correlated with BMI (p = 0.003) but not with age. The sex- dependent GH secretion (greater in women) was no longer detectable after 50 years of age. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels were lower in women over 50 years of age compared with men of a similar age. ApEn showed an age-related increase in both sexes and was higher in premenopausal and postmenopausal women than in men of comparable age (p < 0.0001). A single fasting GH measurement is not informative of 24-hour GH secretion. CONCLUSIONS BMI dominates the negative regulation of 24-hour GH secretion across 5 decades of age in this up till now largest cohort of healthy adults who underwent 24-hour blood sampling. Sex also impacts GH secretion before the age of 50 years as well as its regularity at all ages. Differences in serum IGF-1 partly depend on the pre- or postmenopausal state. Finally, a single GH measurement is not informative of 24-hour GH secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Johannes D. Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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13
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Joustra SD, Roelfsema F, Endert E, Ballieux BEPB, van Trotsenburg ASP, Fliers E, Corssmit EPM, Bernard DJ, Oostdijk W, Wit JM, Pereira AM, Biermasz NR. Pituitary Hormone Secretion Profiles in IGSF1 Deficiency Syndrome. Neuroendocrinology 2016; 103:408-16. [PMID: 26336917 DOI: 10.1159/000439433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2015] [Accepted: 08/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Loss-of-function mutations in immunoglobulin superfamily member 1 (IGSF1) cause an X-linked syndrome of central hypothyroidism, macroorchidism, delayed pubertal testosterone rise, variable prolactin deficiency and variable partial GH deficiency in childhood. The clinical features and gene expression pattern suggest a pivotal role for IGSF1 in the pituitary, but detailed knowledge on pituitary hormone secretion in this syndrome is lacking. We therefore aimed to study the 24-hour pituitary hormone secretion in male patients with IGSF1 deficiency. METHODS We collected blood samples every 10 min for 24 h in eight adult male IGSF1-deficient patients and measured circulating TSH, prolactin and gonadotropins. Deconvolution, modified cosinor and approximate entropy analyses were applied to quantify secretion rates, diurnal rhythmicity and regularity of hormone release. Results were compared to healthy controls matched for age and body mass index. RESULTS Compared to healthy controls, IGSF1-deficient patients showed decreased pulsatile secretion of TSH with decreased disorderliness and reduced diurnal variation. Basal and pulsatile secretion of FSH was increased by over 200%, while LH secretion did not differ from healthy controls. We observed a bimodal distribution of prolactin secretion, i.e. severe deficiency in three and increased basal and total secretion in the other five patients. CONCLUSION The altered TSH secretion pattern is consistent with the previously hypothesized defect in thyrotropin-releasing hormone signaling in IGSF1 deficiency. However, the phenotype is more extensive and includes increased FSH secretion without altered LH secretion as well as either undetectable or increased prolactin secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sjoerd D Joustra
- Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Characterization of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Axis in Familial Longevity under Resting Conditions. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0133119. [PMID: 26193655 PMCID: PMC4508039 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2015] [Accepted: 06/24/2015] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis is the most important neuro-endocrine stress response system of our body which is of critical importance for survival. Disturbances in HPA-axis activity have been associated with adverse metabolic and cognitive changes. Humans enriched for longevity have less metabolic and cognitive disturbances and therefore diminished activity of the HPA axis may be a potential candidate mechanism underlying healthy familial longevity. Here, we compared 24-h plasma ACTH and serum cortisol concentration profiles and different aspects of the regulation of the HPA-axis in offspring from long-lived siblings, who are enriched for familial longevity and age-matched controls. Design Case-control study within the Leiden Longevity study cohort consisting of 20 middle-aged offspring of nonagenarian siblings (offspring) together with 18 partners (controls). Methods During 24 h, venous blood was sampled every 10 minutes for determination of circulatory ACTH and cortisol concentrations. Deconvolution analysis, cross approximate entropy analysis and ACTH-cortisol-dose response modeling were used to assess, respectively, ACTH and cortisol secretion parameters, feedforward and feedback synchrony and adrenal gland ACTH responsivity. Results Mean (95% Confidence Interval) basal ACTH secretion was higher in male offspring compared to male controls (645 (324-1286) ngl/L/24 h versus 240 (120-477) ng/L/24 h, P = 0.05). Other ACTH and cortisol secretion parameters did not differ between offspring and controls. In addition, no significant differences in feedforward and feedback synchrony and adrenal gland ACTH responsivity were observed between groups. Conclusions These results suggest that familial longevity is not associated with major differences in HPA-axis activity under resting conditions, although modest, sex-specific differences may exist between groups that might be clinically relevant.
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15
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Jansen SW, Akintola AA, Roelfsema F, van der Spoel E, Cobbaert CM, Ballieux BE, Egri P, Kvarta-Papp Z, Gereben B, Fekete C, Slagboom PE, van der Grond J, Demeneix BA, Pijl H, Westendorp RGJ, van Heemst D. Human longevity is characterised by high thyroid stimulating hormone secretion without altered energy metabolism. Sci Rep 2015; 5:11525. [PMID: 26089239 PMCID: PMC4473605 DOI: 10.1038/srep11525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2015] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Few studies have included subjects with the propensity to reach old age in good health, with the aim to disentangle mechanisms contributing to staying healthier for longer. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis maintains circulating levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and thyroid hormone (TH) in an inverse relationship. Greater longevity has been associated with higher TSH and lower TH levels, but mechanisms underlying TSH/TH differences and longevity remain unknown. The HPT axis plays a pivotal role in growth, development and energy metabolism. We report that offspring of nonagenarians with at least one nonagenarian sibling have increased TSH secretion but similar bioactivity of TSH and similar TH levels compared to controls. Healthy offspring and spousal controls had similar resting metabolic rate and core body temperature. We propose that pleiotropic effects of the HPT axis may favour longevity without altering energy metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- S W Jansen
- Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - A A Akintola
- Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - F Roelfsema
- Department of Medicine, Section Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - E van der Spoel
- Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - C M Cobbaert
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - B E Ballieux
- Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - P Egri
- 1] Department of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary [2] Semmelweis University, János Szentágothai PhD School of Neurosciences, Budapest, H-1085 Hungary
| | - Z Kvarta-Papp
- Department of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - B Gereben
- Department of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - C Fekete
- 1] Department of Endocrine Neurobiology, Institute of Experimental Medicine, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary [2] Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Tupper Research Institute, Tufts Medical Centre, Boston, MA, USA
| | - P E Slagboom
- Section of Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Medical Statistics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - J van der Grond
- Department of Radiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - B A Demeneix
- UMR 7221 CNRS / MNHN Evolution des Régulations Endocriniennes, Département Régulations, Développement et Diversité Moléculaire, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
| | - H Pijl
- Department of Medicine, Section Endocrinology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - R G J Westendorp
- 1] Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands [2] Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - D van Heemst
- Department of Gerontology and Geriatrics, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Veldhuis JD, Yang RJ, Wigham JR, Erickson D, Miles JC, Bowers CY. Estrogen-like potentiation of ghrelin-stimulated GH secretion by fulvestrant, a putatively selective ER antagonist, in postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014; 99:E2557-64. [PMID: 25210881 PMCID: PMC4255109 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-2633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Hyposomatotropism in healthy aging women reflects in part physiological estrogen (estradiol [E2]) depletion associated with menopause. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that low concentrations of endogenous E2 after menopause continue to drive GH secretion. SETTING The study was performed at the Mayo Center for Clinical and Translational Science. PARTICIPANTS The participants were 24 postmenopausal women (aged 50-77 years with body mass index of 19-32 kg/m(2)). INTERVENTIONS This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-cohort treatment study with placebo (PL) (n = 14) or the antiestrogen fulvestrant (FUL) (n = 10) for 3 weeks, followed by infusion of l-arginine with saline, GHRH, ghrelin, or both peptide secretagogues. OUTCOMES GH concentrations were measured over 6 hours with 10-minute sampling and mass spectrometry measures of testosterone, E2, and estrone. RESULTS Concentrations of testosterone, E2, estrone, SHBG, IGF-I, LH, and FSH were not influenced by antiestrogen treatment. In contrast, GH rose from 0.096 ± 0.018 (PL) to 0.23 ± 0.063 μg/L (FUL, P = .033), and IGF-I binding protein type 3 (IGFBP-3) from 3.6 ± 0.18 to 4.0 ± 2.0 mg/L (P = .041). Conversely, prolactin fell from 7.1 ± 0.69 (PL) to 5.5 ± 0.57 μg/L (FUL) (P = .05), and IGF-I binding protein type 1 (IGFBP-1) fell from 44 ± 9.4 to 27 ± 4.3 μg/L (P = .048). Moreover, FUL vs PL potentiated mean GH responses to l-arginine/saline (P = .007), l-arginine/ghrelin (P = .008), and l-arginine/GHRH + ghrelin (P = .031), but not l-arginine/GHRH. CONCLUSION The potent antiestrogen, FUL, amplifies fasting and secretagogue-driven GH secretion and IGFBP-3 concentrations in postmenopausal women without altering SHBG or sex steroid levels. FUL also suppresses prolactin and IGFBP-1, without altering IGF-I. Thus, a major antiestrogen mediates 3 actions of estrogen: agonism (GH), neutral effects (sex steroids), and estrogen antagonism (prolactin and IGFBP-1).
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit (J.D.V., R.J.Y., J.R.W., D.E., J.C.M.), Mayo Clinic College of Medicine Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905; and Tulane University Health Sciences Center (C.Y.B.), Endocrinology and Metabolism Section, Peptide Research Section, New Orleans, Louisiana 70112
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Roelfsema F, Pereira AM, Biermasz NR, Veldhuis JD. Hormone secretion by pituitary adenomas is characterized by increased disorderliness and spikiness but more regular pulsing. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2014; 99:3836-44. [PMID: 25014002 PMCID: PMC4184075 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2014-2363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
CONTEXT Hormone secretion by functioning pituitary tumors is characterized by increased basal (nonpulsatile) secretion, enhanced pulse frequency, amplified pulse mass, and increased disorderliness. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to quantify (subtle) abnormalities of hormone secretion by pituitary adenomas and the influence of selective pituitary surgery and suppressive medications on these parameters. METHODS Approximate entropy (ApEn) was quantified with a refined algorithm, spikiness by a new method to evaluate sudden short-lived increases in hormone levels, and pulsing regularity, determined with a fully automated deconvolution program. These 3 distinct measures of secretory disruption were compared in untreated and treated patients with acromegaly, prolactinoma, and Cushing's disease together with matching profiles in healthy controls. RESULTS ApEn and spikiness were markedly increased in all untreated patient groups and normalized after pituitary surgery in acromegaly and hypercortisolism. In contrast, hormone-suppressive medical treatment in acromegaly and prolactinoma did not normalize ApEn. Spikiness normalized in acromegalic patients but not in prolactinoma. GH and cortisol pulsing regularity was elevated in acromegaly and Cushing's disease, respectively, and normalized after surgery. Medical treatment caused normalization of pulsing regularity in acromegaly but not in prolactinoma patients. CONCLUSION This study extends the understanding of disorganized hormone secretion by hyperfunctioning pituitary adenomas. The new findings are increased spikiness in all 3 tumor groups and increased pulsing regularity in GH- and ACTH-secreting adenomas. The mechanisms behind the marked pattern irregularity and the selective normalization by surgical and medical therapies are not established yet but may include diminished feedback signaling in addition to the anatomical and functional disorganization of intrapituitary cell networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases (F.R., A.M.P., N.R.B.), Leiden University Medical Center, 2333ZA Leiden, The Netherlands; and Endocrine Research Unit (J.D.V.), Mayo Medical and Graduate Schools, Clinical Translational Research Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55901
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Boonen E, Meersseman P, Vervenne H, Meyfroidt G, Guïza F, Wouters PJ, Veldhuis JD, Van den Berghe G. Reduced nocturnal ACTH-driven cortisol secretion during critical illness. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2014; 306:E883-92. [PMID: 24569590 PMCID: PMC3989736 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00009.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Recently, during critical illness, cortisol metabolism was found to be reduced. We hypothesize that such reduced cortisol breakdown may suppress pulsatile ACTH and cortisol secretion via feedback inhibition. To test this hypothesis, nocturnal ACTH and cortisol secretory profiles were constructed by deconvolution analysis from plasma concentration time series in 40 matched critically ill patients and eight healthy controls, excluding diseases or drugs that affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Blood was sampled every 10 min between 2100 and 0600 to quantify plasma concentrations of ACTH and (free) cortisol. Approximate entropy, an estimation of process irregularity, cross-approximate entropy, a measure of ACTH-cortisol asynchrony, and ACTH-cortisol dose-response relationships were calculated. Total and free plasma cortisol concentrations were higher at all times in patients than in controls (all P < 0.04). Pulsatile cortisol secretion was 54% lower in patients than in controls (P = 0.005), explained by reduced cortisol burst mass (P = 0.03), whereas cortisol pulse frequency (P = 0.35) and nonpulsatile cortisol secretion (P = 0.80) were unaltered. Pulsatile ACTH secretion was 31% lower in patients than in controls (P = 0.03), again explained by a lower ACTH burst mass (P = 0.02), whereas ACTH pulse frequency (P = 0.50) and nonpulsatile ACTH secretion (P = 0.80) were unchanged. ACTH-cortisol dose response estimates were similar in patients and controls. ACTH and cortisol approximate entropy were higher in patients (P ≤ 0.03), as was ACTH-cortisol cross-approximate entropy (P ≤ 0.001). We conclude that hypercortisolism during critical illness coincided with suppressed pulsatile ACTH and cortisol secretion and a normal ACTH-cortisol dose response. Increased irregularity and asynchrony of the ACTH and cortisol time series supported non-ACTH-dependent mechanisms driving hypercortisolism during critical illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Boonen
- Clinical Division and Laboratory of Intensive Care Medicine, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, and
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Norman C, Rollene NL, Erickson D, Miles JM, Bowers CY, Veldhuis JD. Estradiol regulates GH-releasing peptide's interactions with GH-releasing hormone and somatostatin in postmenopausal women. Eur J Endocrinol 2014; 170:121-9. [PMID: 24114435 PMCID: PMC3892701 DOI: 10.1530/eje-13-0733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Estrogen stimulates pulsatile secretion of GH, via mechanisms that are largely unknown. An untested hypothesis is that estradiol (E₂) drives GH secretion by amplifying interactions among GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), somatostatin (SS), and GH-releasing peptide (GHRP). DESIGN The design comprised double-blind randomized prospective administration of transdermal E₂ vs placebo to healthy postmenopausal women (n=24) followed by pulsatile GHRH or SS infusions for 13 h overnight with or without continuous GHRP2 stimulation. METHODS End points were mean concentrations, deconvolved secretion, and approximate entropy (ApEn; a regularity measure) of GH. RESULTS By generalized ANOVA models, it was observed that E₂ vs placebo supplementation: i) augmented mean (13-h) GH concentrations (P=0.023), GHRH-induced pulsatile GH secretion over the first 3 h (P=0.0085) and pulsatile GH secretion over the next 10 h (P=0.054); ii) increased GHRP-modulated (P=0.022) and SS-modulated (P<0.001) GH ApEn; and iii) did not amplify GHRH/GHRP synergy during pulsatile GH secretion. By linear regression, E₂ concentrations were found to be positively correlated with GH secretion during GHRP2 infusion (P=0.022), whereas BMI was found to be negatively correlated with GH secretion during GHRH (P=0.006) and combined GHRH/GHRP (P=0.015) stimulation. E₂ and BMI jointly determined triple (combined l-arginine, GHRH, and GHRP2) stimulation of GH secretion after saline (R²=0.44 and P=0.003) and pulsatile GHRH (R²=0.39 and P=0.013) infusions. CONCLUSION In summary, in postmenopausal women, E₂ supplementation augments the amount (mass) and alters the pattern (regularity) of GH secretion via interactions among GHRH, SS, GHRP, and BMI. These outcomes introduce a more complex model of E₂ supplementation in coordinating GH secretion in aging women.
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Steyn FJ, Wan Y, Clarkson J, Veldhuis JD, Herbison AE, Chen C. Development of a methodology for and assessment of pulsatile luteinizing hormone secretion in juvenile and adult male mice. Endocrinology 2013; 154:4939-45. [PMID: 24092638 PMCID: PMC5398599 DOI: 10.1210/en.2013-1502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 178] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Current methodology to monitor pulsatile LH release in mice is limited by inadequate assay sensitivity, resulting in the need for collection of large blood volumes. Thus, assessment of pulsatile LH secretion in mice remains highly challenging, and observations are limited to adult mice. To address this, we developed a highly sensitive ELISA for assessment of mouse LH concentrations in small fractions of whole blood. We demonstrate that this assay is capable of reliably detecting LH down to a theoretical limit of 0.117 ng/mL in a 2-μL fraction of whole blood. Using an established frequent blood collection procedure, we validated the accuracy of this method by determining the pulsatile LH secretion in early-adult (10 weeks old) C57BL6/J male mice. Data demonstrate regular pulsatile release of LH, with peaks in LH secretion rarely exceeding 3 ng/mL. Moreover, assessment of LH release in Gpr54 knockout mice demonstrates the lack of pulsatile LH release after the loss of kisspeptin-mediated pubertal maturation. We next determined age-associated changes in pulsatile LH secretion by assessment of LH secretion in prepubertal (28 days old) C57BL6/J male mice and repeated assessment in the same mice in adulthood (120 days old). Data demonstrate that the rise in total LH secretion in mice after pubertal maturation occurs along with an overall rise in the pulsatile LH secretion rate. This was coupled with a significant increase in the number of LH secretory events (number of pulses). In addition, we observed a decrease in the clearance (increased half-life) and a decrease in the regularity (approximate entropy) of LH release. This method will be of wide general utility within the field of reproductive biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- F J Steyn
- School of Biomedical Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. ; or Dr Frederik Steyn, School of Biomedical Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. E-mail:
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Abstract
Thyroid hormones are extremely important for metabolism, development, and growth during the lifetime. The hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis is precisely regulated for these purposes. Much of our knowledge of this hormonal axis is derived from experiments in animals and mutations in man. This review examines the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis particularly in relation to the regulated 24-hour serum TSH concentration profiles in physiological and pathophysiological conditions, including obesity, primary hypothyroidism, pituitary diseases, psychiatric disorders, and selected neurological diseases. Diurnal TSH rhythms can be analyzed with novel and precise techniques, eg, operator-independent deconvolution and approximate entropy. These approaches provide indirect insight in the regulatory components in pathophysiological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, PO Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Norman C, Miles J, Bowers CY, Veldhuis JD. Differential pulsatile secretagogue control of GH secretion in healthy men. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2013; 304:R712-9. [PMID: 23485864 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00069.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Pulsatile growth hormone (GH) secretion putatively reflects integrated regulation by GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), somatostatin (SST), and GH-releasing peptide (GHRP). GHRH and SST secretion is itself pulsatile. However, how GHRH and SST pulses act along with GHRP to jointly determine pulsatile GH secretion is unclear. Moreover, how testosterone (T) modulates such interactions is unknown. These queries were assessed in a prospectively randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind cohort comprising 26 healthy older men randomized to testosterone (T) vs. placebo supplementation. Pulses of GHRH, SST, or saline were infused intravenously at 90-min intervals for 13 h, along with either continuous saline or ghrelin analog (GHRP-2). The train of pulses was followed by a triple stimulus (combined l-arginine, GHRH, and GHRP-2) to estimate near-maximal GH secretion over a final 3 h. Testosterone vs. placebo supplementation doubled pulsatile GH secretion during GHRH pulses combined with continuous saline (GHRH/saline) (P < 0.01). Pulsatile GH secretion correlated positively with T concentrations (270-1,170 ng/dl) in the 26 men during saline pulses/saline (P = 0.015, R(2) = 0.24), GHRH pulses/saline (P = 0.020, R(2) = 0.22), and combined GHRH pulses/GHRP-2 (P = 0.016, R(2) = 0.25) infusions. Basal nonpulsatile GH secretion correlated with T during saline pulses/GHRP-2 drive (P = 0.020, R(2) = 0.16). By regression analysis, pulsatile GH secretion varied negatively with body mass index (BMI) during saline/GHRP-2 infusion (P = 0.001, R(2) = 0.36), as well as after the triple stimulus preceded by GHRH/GHRP-2 (P = 0.013, R(2) = 0.23). Mean (10-h) GH concentrations under GHRP-2 were predicted jointly by estradiol (positively) and BMI (negatively) (P < 0.001, R(2) = 0.520). These data indicate that estradiol, T, and BMI control pulsatile secretagogue-specific GH-regulatory mechanisms in older men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catalina Norman
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
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Steyn FJ, Ngo ST, Lee JD, Leong JW, Buckley AJ, Veldhuis JD, McCombe PA, Chen C, Bellingham MC. Impairments to the GH-IGF-I axis in hSOD1G93A mice give insight into possible mechanisms of GH dysregulation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Endocrinology 2012; 153:3735-46. [PMID: 22621959 DOI: 10.1210/en.2011-2171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
GH deficiency has been found in subjects with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Disrupted endocrine function could contribute to the progressive muscle loss and hypermetabolism seen in ALS. It is not possible to study all the elements of the GH-IGF-I axis in ALS patients. Consequently, it remains unclear whether dysfunctional GH secretion contributes to disease pathogenesis and why GH and IGF-I directed treatment strategies are ineffective in human ALS. The hSOD1(G93A) transgenic mouse model is useful for the detailed investigation of the pathogenesis of ALS. We report that symptomatic male hSOD1(G93A) transgenic mice exhibit a deficiency in GH secretion similar to that seen in human ALS. Further characterization of the GH-IGF-I axis in hSOD1(G93A) mice reveals central and peripheral abnormalities that are not found in wild-type age-matched controls. Specifically, we observe aberrant endogenous pulsatile GH secretion, reduced pituitary GH content, and decreased circulating levels of IGF-I, indicating global GH deficiency in hSOD1(G93A) mice. Furthermore, a reduction in the expression of the IGF-I receptor α-subunit in skeletal muscle and lumbar spinal cords of hSOD1(G93A) mice suggests impaired IGF-I signaling within these tissues. This is the first account of disrupted GH secretion in a transgenic mouse model of ALS. These observations are essential for the development of effective GH and IGF-I targeted therapies in ALS.
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Affiliation(s)
- F J Steyn
- School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Queensland, St. Lucia 4072, Australia.
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Prolactin secretion in healthy adults is determined by gender, age and body mass index. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31305. [PMID: 22363612 PMCID: PMC3281966 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2011] [Accepted: 01/06/2012] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prolactin (PRL) secretion is quantifiable as mean, peak and nadir PRL concentrations, degree of irregularity (ApEn, approximate entropy) and spikiness (brief staccato-like fluctuations). Hypothesis Distinct PRL dynamics reflect relatively distinct (combinations of) subject variables, such as gender, age, and BMI. Location Clinical Research Unit. Subjects Seventy-four healthy adults aged 22–77 yr (41 women and 33 men), with BMI 18.3–39.4 kg/m2. Measures Immunofluorometric PRL assay of 10-min samples collected for 24 hours. Results Mean 24-h PRL concentration correlated jointly with gender (P<0.0001) and BMI (P = 0.01), but not with age (overall R2 = 0.308, P<0.0001). Nadir PRL concentration correlated with gender only (P = 0.017) and peak PRL with gender (P<0.001) and negatively with age (P<0.003), overall R2 = 0.325, P<0.0001. Forward-selection multivariate regression of PRL deconvolution results demonstrated that basal (nonpulsatile) PRL secretion tended to be associated with BMI (R2 = 0.058, P = 0.03), pulsatile secretion with gender (R2 = 0.152, P = 0.003), and total secretion with gender and BMI (R2 = 0.204, P<0.0001). Pulse mass was associated with gender (P = 0.001) and with a negative tendency to age (P = 0.038). In male subjects older than 50 yr (but not in women) approximate entropy was increased (0.942±0.301 vs. 1.258±0.267, P = 0.007) compared with younger men, as well as spikiness (0.363±0.122 vs. 0463±2.12, P = 0.031). Cosinor analysis disclosed higher mesor and amplitude in females than in men, but the acrophase was gender-independent. The acrophase was determined by age and BMI (R2 = 0.186, P = 0.001). Conclusion In healthy adults, selective combinations of gender, age, and BMI specify distinct PRL dynamics, thus requiring balanced representation of these variables in comparative PRL studies.
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Iranmanesh A, Rochester DF, Liu J, Veldhuis JD. Impaired adrenergic- and corticotropic-axis outflow during exercise in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Metabolism 2011; 60:1521-9. [PMID: 21632072 PMCID: PMC3181386 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2011.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2010] [Revised: 03/21/2011] [Accepted: 03/26/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Exercise stimulates coordinated release of the sympathoadrenal hormones adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, norepinephrine (NE), and epinephrine (Epi). The study hypothesis was that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is marked by heightened sympathoadrenal outflow at comparable relative workloads. The location of the study was at a clinical research unit. Eight healthy men and 9 men with stable COPD (forced expiratory volume at 1 second <75% predicted) were studied. Volunteers rested (baseline) or exercised at individual submaximal (35% ± 5%) or maximal oxygen consumption. Blood was sampled every 2 minutes for 40 minutes concurrently. Two-way analysis of covariance was applied to examine group (healthy/COPD) and exercise (3 levels) effects on ACTH, cortisol, NE, and Epi release and regularity (estimable by approximate entropy). The timing of peak hormone concentrations was Epi, 14 minutes; NE, 16 minutes; ACTH, 22 minutes; and cortisol, 34 minutes in both cohorts. Type of exercise regimen influenced all 4 hormones (each P < .001), and subject group (control vs COPD) affected cortisol (P < .001) and Epi (P = .048) responses. Exercise regimen and group together controlled ACTH, cortisol, and Epi (each P < .001), but not NE, responses. In particular, endocrine responses were attenuated in COPD compared with control subjects. Approximate entropy analysis also identified loss of maximal exercise-induced ACTH-secretory regularity in COPD patients (P = .042). These outcomes demonstrate impaired rather than augmented exercise-associated sympathocorticotropic-axis outflow in patients with COPD even when outcomes are normalized to maximal oxygen consumption, suggesting that factors other than fitness are at work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Iranmanesh
- Endocrine Service, Medical Section, Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salem, VA 24153
| | - Dudley F. Rochester
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, VA 22901
| | - Jing Liu
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Medicine, University of Virginia Health Sciences Center, Charlottesville, VA 22901
| | - Johannes D. Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905
- Corresponding author: Tel: (507) 255-0906, Fax: (507) 255-0901,
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Keenan DM, Iranmanesh A, Veldhuis JD. Analytical construct of reversible desensitization of pituitary-testicular signaling: illustrative application in aging. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2010; 300:R349-60. [PMID: 21084679 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00477.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Luteinizing hormone (LH) administered in pharmacological amounts downregulates Leydig cell steroidogenesis. Whether reversible downregulation of physiological gonadotropin drive operates in vivo is unknown. Most of the analytical models of dose-response functions that have been constructed are biased by the assumption that no downregulation exists. The present study employs a new analytical platform to quantify potential (but not required) pulsatile cycles of LH-testosterone (T) dose-response stimulation, desensitization, and recovery (pulse-by-pulse hysteresis) in 26 healthy men sampled every 10 min for 24 h. A sensitivity-downregulation hysteresis construct predicted marked hysteresis with a median time delay to LH dose-response inflection within individual T pulses of 23 min and with median T pulse onset and recovery LH sensitivities of 1.1 and 0.10 slope unit, respectively (P < 0.001). A potency-downregulation model yielded median estimates of one-half maximally stimulatory LH concentrations (EC(50) values) of 0.66 and 7.5 IU/l for onset and recovery, respectively (P < 0.001). An efficacy-downregulation formulation of hysteresis forecasts median LH efficacies of 20 and 8.3 ng·dl(-1)·min(-1) for onset and offset of T secretory burst, respectively (P = 0.002). Segmentation of the LH-T data by age suggested greater sensitivity, higher EC(50) (increased LH potency), and markedly (2.7-fold) attenuated LH efficacy in older individuals. Each of the three hysteresis models yielded a marked (P < 0.005) reduction in estimated model residual error compared with no hysteresis. In summary, model-based analyses allowing for (but not requiring) reversible pituitary-gonadal effector-response downregulation are consistent with a hypothesis of recurrent, brief cycles of LH-dependent stimulation, desensitization, and recovery of pulsatile T secretion in vivo and an age-associated reduction of LH efficacy. Prospective studies would be required to prove this aging effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Keenan
- Department of Statistics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
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Muniyappa R, Veldhuis JD, Harman SM, Sorkin JD, Blackman MR. Effects of testosterone administration on nocturnal cortisol secretion in healthy older men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2010; 65:1185-92. [PMID: 20675620 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glq128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
In animal studies, testosterone decreases, whereas estrogen increases, cortisol production. In one clinical study, short-term testosterone replacement attenuated corticotrophin-releasing hormone-stimulated cortisol secretion during leuprolide-induced hypogonadism in young men. The effects of longer term testosterone treatment on spontaneous cortisol secretion in younger or older men are unknown. In a randomized, double-masked placebo-controlled study, we assessed the effects of testosterone supplementation (100 mg intramuscular every 2 week) for 26 weeks on nocturnal cortisol secretory dynamics in healthy older men. Testosterone administration increased early morning serum concentrations of free testosterone by 34%, decreased sex hormone-binding globulin by 20%, and did not alter early morning concentrations of cortisol-binding globulin or cortisol compared with placebo treatment. Testosterone did not significantly alter nocturnal mean and integrated cortisol concentrations, cortisol burst frequency, mass/burst, basal secretion, pulsatile cortisol production rate, pattern regularity, or approximate entropy. We conclude that low-dose testosterone supplementation for 26 weeks does not affect spontaneous nocturnal cortisol secretion in healthy older men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranganath Muniyappa
- Diabetes Unit, Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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Roelfsema F, Kok P, Pereira AM, Pijl H. Cortisol production rate is similarly elevated in obese women with or without the polycystic ovary syndrome. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010; 95:3318-24. [PMID: 20410226 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-2701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The pituitary-adrenal axis in obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is marked by increased urinary excretion of cortisol and its metabolites. It is not as yet clear whether the increased cortisol production in PCOS is related to obesity per se. INTERVENTION AND METHODS We investigated 15 obese PCOS women with a body mass index of 30-54 kg/m(2) and 15 healthy obese controls (body mass index 31-60 kg/m(2)) with a regular menstrual cycle. Patients and control women underwent 24-h blood sampling at 20-min intervals. Cortisol concentrations were measured with a sensitive assay. Data were analyzed with a new deconvolution program, approximate entropy, and cosinor regression. OUTCOME Basal, pulsatile, and total cortisol production expressed per liter distribution volume, per square meter body surface, and as absolute amount per 24 h was similar in PCOS patients and matched healthy control women. In addition, the regularity of cortisol secretion and the diurnal properties were identical. Compared with 10 lean control women, mean cortisol production per liter distribution volume was similar in the three groups, but the total 24-h cortisol production was increased in obese control women and PCOS women. CONCLUSION This study demonstrates equally increased cortisol production in PCOS women and obese healthy control women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Albinusdreef 2, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Iranmanesh A, Mulligan T, Veldhuis JD. Age in men does not determine gonadotropin-releasing hormone's dose-dependent stimulation of luteinizing hormone secretion under an exogenous testosterone clamp. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010; 95:2877-84. [PMID: 20357176 PMCID: PMC2902075 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-2581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aging is associated with a decline in incremental LH pulse amplitude, which could be due to decreased GnRH secretion or impaired GnRH action. HYPOTHESIS Inconsistent published studies of GnRH action in older men may be due to disparate sex-steroid milieus. FACILITY This study was conducted at a clinical translational-research unit. SUBJECTS We studied 16 healthy men (8 young men and 8 older men). METHODS An overnight transdermal testosterone (T) clamp was implemented before randomly ordered injections of 0, 2.5, 10, 25, 250, and 750 ng GnRH on separate days (96 study sessions). OUTCOMES LH responses were quantified by variable-waveform deconvolution analysis. RESULTS The T clamp maintained age-invariant mean concentrations of total, bioavailable, and free T, SHBG, LH, FSH, and prolactin. By two-way analysis of covariance, GnRH dose (P < 0.001) but not age (0.15 < or = P < or = 0.83) determined mean, peak, incremental, and pulsatile LH responses. Statistical power (median) was 95, 98, 90, and 99% to detect a 30% or greater age contrast at P < or = 0.05 in mean, peak, incremental, and pulsatile LH responses, and greater than 99% to detect a 30% or greater age contrast in bioavailable or total T concentrations. Higher GnRH doses (P < 0.001) abbreviated LH secretory bursts in both age groups. CONCLUSION In the face of eugonadal concentrations of total, bioavailable, and free T, young and older men exhibit remarkably similar LH responses to a 300-fold dose range of exogenous GnRH. Accordingly, previously reported disparate effects of age on GnRH action may reflect in part age-discrepant sex-steroid milieus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Iranmanesh
- Endocrine Section, Department of Medicine, Salem Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salem, Virginia 24153, USA
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Rapid glucocorticoid receptor-mediated inhibition of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal ultradian activity in healthy males. J Neurosci 2010; 30:6106-15. [PMID: 20427668 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5332-09.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
A complex dynamic ultradian rhythm underlies the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) circadian rhythm. We have investigated in normal human male subjects the importance, site of action, and receptor-mediated processes involved in rapid basal corticosteroid feedback and its interaction with corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH) drive. Pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), ACTH, and cortisol were measured every 10 min from healthy males during the awakening period or late afternoon using an automated blood sampling system. Mathematical modeling into discrete pulses of activity revealed that intravenous infusion of the synthetic mixed glucocorticoid/mineralocorticoid agonist prednisolone produced rapid inhibition of ACTH and cortisol pulsatility within 30 min in the morning and afternoon. Any pulse that had commenced at the time of injection was unaffected, and subsequent pulsatility was inhibited. Prednisolone also inhibited ACTH and cortisol secretion in response to exogenous CRH stimulation, inferring rapid feedback inhibition at the anterior pituitary. Circulating POMC peptide concentrations were unaffected, suggesting that the rapid corticosteroid inhibitory effect specifically targeted ACTH secretion from pituitary corticotrophs. Prednisolone fast feedback was only reduced by glucocorticoid receptor antagonist pretreatment and not by mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism, suggesting a glucocorticoid receptor-mediated pathway. The intravenous prednisolone suppression test provides a powerful new tool to investigate HPA abnormalities underlying metabolic and psychiatric disease states.
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Veldhuis JD, Keenan DM, Liu PY, Takahashi PY. Kinetics of removal of intravenous testosterone pulses in normal men. Eur J Endocrinol 2010; 162:787-94. [PMID: 20089549 PMCID: PMC2861557 DOI: 10.1530/eje-09-1085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Testosterone is secreted into the bloodstream episodically, putatively distributing into total, bioavailable (bio) nonsex hormone-binding globulin (nonSHBG-bound), and free testosterone moieties. The kinetics of total, bio, and free testosterone pulses are unknown. Design Adrenal and gonadal steroidogenesis was blocked pharmacologically, glucocorticoid was replaced, and testosterone was infused in pulses in four distinct doses in 14 healthy men under two different paradigms (a total of 220 testosterone pulses). METHODS Testosterone kinetics were assessed by deconvolution analysis of total, free, bioavailable, SHBG-bound, and albumin-bound testosterone concentration-time profiles. RESULTS Independently of testosterone dose or paradigm, rapid-phase half-lives (min) of total, free, bioavailable, SHBG-bound, and albumin-bound testosterone were comparable at 1.4+/-0.22 min (grand mean+/-S.E.M. of geometric means). Slow-phase testosterone half-lives were highest for SHBG-bound testosterone (32 min) and total testosterone (27 min) with the former exceeding that of free testosterone (18 min), bioavailable testosterone (14 min), and albumin-bound testosterone (18 min; P<0.001). Collective outcomes indicate that i) the rapid phase of testosterone disappearance from point sampling in the circulation is not explained by testosterone dose; ii) SHBG-bound testosterone and total testosterone kinetics are prolonged; and iii) the half-lives of bioavailable, albumin-bound, and free testosterone are short. CONCLUSION A frequent-sampling strategy comprising an experimental hormone clamp, estimation of hormone concentrations as bound and free moieties, mimicry of physiological pulses, and deconvolution analysis may have utility in estimating the in vivo kinetics of other hormones, substrates, and metabolites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Clinical Translational Science Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
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Roelfsema F, Pereira AM, Adriaanse R, Endert E, Fliers E, Romijn JA, Veldhuis JD. Thyrotropin secretion in mild and severe primary hypothyroidism is distinguished by amplified burst mass and Basal secretion with increased spikiness and approximate entropy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010; 95:928-34. [PMID: 19965923 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-1959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Twenty-four-hour TSH secretion profiles in primary hypothyroidism have been analyzed with methods no longer in use. The insights afforded by earlier methods are limited. OBJECTIVE We studied TSH secretion in patients with primary hypothyroidism (eight patients with severe and eight patients with mild hypothyroidism) with up-to-date analytical tools and compared the results with outcomes in 38 healthy controls. DESIGN AND METHODS Patients and controls underwent a 24-h study with 10-min blood sampling. TSH data were analyzed with a newly developed automated deconvolution program, approximate entropy, spikiness assessment, and cosinor regression. RESULTS Both basal and pulsatile TSH secretion rates were increased in hypothyroid patients, the latter by increased burst mass with unchanged frequency. Secretory regularity (approximate entropy) was diminished, and spikiness was increased only in patients with severe hypothyroidism. A diurnal TSH rhythm was present in all but two patients, although with an earlier acrophase in severe hypothyroidism. The estimated slow component of the TSH half-life was shortened in all patients. CONCLUSION Increased TSH concentrations in hypothyroidism are mediated by amplification of basal secretion and burst size. Secretory abnormalities quantitated by approximate entropy and spikiness were only present in patients with severe disease and thus are possibly related to the increased thyrotrope cell mass.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, P.O. Box 9600, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Hudson SB, Schroeder DR, Bailey JN, Mielke KL, Erickson D, Miles JM, Bowers CY, Veldhuis JD. Pre- versus postmenopausal age, estradiol, and peptide-secretagogue type determine pulsatile growth hormone secretion in healthy women: studies using submaximal agonist drive and an estrogen clamp. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010; 95:353-60. [PMID: 19858315 PMCID: PMC2805499 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-1769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT GH-releasing peptide (GHRP), GHRH, and somatostatin are physiological regulators of pulsatile GH secretion. HYPOTHESIS Age, independently of abdominal visceral fat (AVF) and basal (nonpulsatile) GH secretion, damps pulsatile GH secretion driven by physiological (rather than pharmacological) amounts of GHRP and GHRH in an experimentally controlled estradiol (E(2)) milieu. DESIGN AND SETTING A prospectively randomized, double-blind parallel-cohort study was conducted at an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS Community-dwelling healthy premenopausal (PRE, age 24 +/- 0.8 yr, n = 20) and postmenopausal (POST, age 63 +/- 1.8 yr, n = 22) women participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS Gonadal-axis down-regulation with leuprolide was followed by randomized addback of placebo or transdermal E(2) and separate-day iv bolus injections of a half-maximally stimulatory dose of GHRP-2 or GHRH (each 0.33 mug/kg). ANALYSIS Three-way analysis of covariance included main factors age, E(2) status, and secretagogue type and covariates AVF and basal GH secretion. RESULTS Submaximally stimulated pulsatile GH secretion was positively determined by PRE vs. POST age (P < 0.001), E(2) repletion vs. depletion (P = 0.001) and GHRP-2 vs. GHRH stimulation (P < 0.001), after adjustment for AVF and basal secretion. E(2) vs. placebo elevated fasting mean GH concentrations in both PRE and POST women (P = 0.006) but increased basal (nonpulsatile) GH secretion in PRE only (P = 0.002). PRE vs. POST age prolonged GHRH-driven GH secretory bursts by 36% (P = 0.006). CONCLUSION PRE vs. POST age, E(2) availability, and physiological peptide drive are triple determinants of pulsatile GH secretion independently of abdominal visceral fat and nonpulsatile GH secretion in healthy women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan B Hudson
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Clinical Translational Research Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905
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Veldhuis JD, Roelfsema F, Iranmanesh A, Carroll BJ, Keenan DM, Pincus SM. Basal, pulsatile, entropic (patterned), and spiky (staccato-like) properties of ACTH secretion: impact of age, gender, and body mass index. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:4045-52. [PMID: 19755477 PMCID: PMC2758736 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-1143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Age, gender, and BMI determine ultradian modes of LH and GH secretion, viz., pulsatile, basal, pattern-defined regularity [approximate entropy (ApEn)] and spikiness (sharp, brief excursions). Whether the same determinants apply to ACTH secretion is not known. SETTING The study was conducted at a tertiary medical center. SUBJECTS We studied normal women (n = 22) and men (n = 26) [ages, 23-77 yr; body mass index (BMI), 21-32 kg/m(2)]. METHODS Volunteers underwent 10-min blood sampling to create 24-h ACTH concentration profiles. OUTCOMES Dynamic measures of ACTH secretion were studied. RESULTS Mean ACTH concentrations (R(2) = 0.15; P = 0.006) and both pulsatile (R(2) = 0.12; P = 0.018) and basal (nonpulsatile) (R(2) = 0.16; P = 0.005) ACTH secretion correlated directly with BMI (n = 48). Men had greater basal (P = 0.047), pulsatile (P = 0.031), and total (P = 0.010) 24-h ACTH secretion than women, including when total secretion was normalized for BMI (P = 0.019). In men, both ACTH-cortisol feedforward and cortisol-ACTH feedback asynchrony (cross-ApEn) increased with age (R(2) = 0.20 and 0.22; P = 0.021 and 0.018). ACTH spikiness rose with age (P = 0.046), principally in women. Irregularity of cortisol secretion (ApEn) increased with age (n = 48; P = 0.010), especially in men. In both sexes, percentage pulsatile ACTH secretion predicted 24-h mean cortisol concentrations (R(2) = 0.14; P = 0.009). CONCLUSION Valid comparisons of ultradian ACTH dynamics will require cohorts matched for age, gender, and BMI, conditions hitherto not satisfied in most physiological studies of this axis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo Medical School, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
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Roelfsema F, Pereira AM, Veldhuis JD, Adriaanse R, Endert E, Fliers E, Romijn JA. Thyrotropin secretion profiles are not different in men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:3964-7. [PMID: 19773394 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-1155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis in women may differ from that in men. Previous reports have shown an almost 2-fold increased response to TRH in females compared with males. OBJECTIVE We analyzed TSH profiles in healthy men and women to delineate differences in the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid system. SUBJECTS AND INTERVENTION The subjects, 24 men (mean age 44 +/- 3 yr) and 22 women (mean age 42 +/- 3 yr) underwent a 24-h study with blood sampling intervals of 10 min. Premenopausal women were investigated in the early follicular phase of the cycle. METHODS Serum TSH concentration profiles were analyzed with a newly developed automated deconvolution program, approximate entropy, and cosinor regression. RESULTS Basal and pulsatile TSH secretion, and also pulse frequency, hormone half-lives, and secretory mode were indistinguishable in the two genders. There were no differences in diurnal variation, and the times of maximal secretion coincided. Approximate entropy, reflecting secretory regularity, was not different between men and women. In women but not men, TSH secretion was dependent linearly on age. CONCLUSIONS TSH secretion is gender invariant and depends on age in women only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, 2300 RC Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Veldhuis JD, Hudson SA, Bailey JN, Erickson D. Regulation of basal, pulsatile, and entropic (patterned) modes of GH secretion in a putatively low-somatostatin milieu in women. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2009; 297:E483-9. [PMID: 19491298 PMCID: PMC2724111 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00136.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Somatostatin (SS) released by hypothalamic neurons inhibits GH exocytosis noncompetitively. Therefore, we postulated that attenuation of GH feedback-induced SS outflow would help to unmask covariates of endogenous secretagogue drive. To this end, 42 healthy pre- and postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to receive leuprolide plus estradiol (E(2)) or leuprolide plus placebo. A putatively low-SS milieu was imposed by L-arginine infusion. Deconvolution and regularity analyses were applied to 6-h GH concentration-time profiles. By two-way ANOVA, age negatively (P < 0.001) and E(2) positively (P = 0.001) determined pulsatile GH secretion in the presumptively SS-deficient milieu (P < 0.001). Comparable effects were exerted on the mass of GH secreted per burst per unit distribution volume (age P = 0.001, E(2) P < 0.001, overall P < 0.001). E(2) alone predicted basal (nonpulsatile) GH secretion (P = 0.004). Stepwise forward-selection multivariate regression demonstrated that age (P = 0.0017) and E(2) (P = 0.0002) together explained 46% of intersubject variability in pulsatile GH secretion (P < 0.001) and fully replaced the negative univariate effect of abdominal visceral fat (r(2) = 0.32, P < 0.001). Moreover, age and E(2) (but not AVF) interacted to supervise GH regularity (P = 0.007). We conclude that age and E(2) availability individually and together constitute primary predictors of basal, pulsatile, and patterned GH secretion in an inferentially feedback-silenced context in healthy women. Therefore, both factors must be considered in framing hypotheses of endogenous GH drive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Mayo Medical and Graduate Schools of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
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Veldhuis JD, Keenan DM, Bailey JN, Miles JM, Bowers CY. Preservation of GHRH and GH-releasing peptide-2 efficacy in young men with experimentally induced hypogonadism. Eur J Endocrinol 2009; 161:293-300. [PMID: 19458139 PMCID: PMC2772823 DOI: 10.1530/eje-09-0270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Somatostatin (SS), GHRH, GH-releasing peptide (GHRP), and the sex-steroid milieu regulate GH secretion. OBJECTIVE To test whether GHRH and GHRP remain effective secretagogs in the face of short-term hypogonadism. DESIGN Prospective, randomized double-blind. METHODS Healthy young men (n=24) received a GnRH agonist twice 3 weeks apart followed by placebo (n=13, Pl) or testosterone (n=11, testosterone) addback. SUBJECTS were then given consecutive i.v. infusions of l-arginine (to restrain SS outflow) and a maximally effective dose of GHRH or GHRP-2 (to test corresponding secretagog pathways). RESULTS GH secretion stimulated by l-arginine/GHRH and by l-arginine/GHRP-2 was unaffected by combined testosterone/estradiol (E(2)) depletion. The low testosterone/E(2) milieu decreased basal (nonpulsatile) GH secretion (P=0.038), without altering fasting pulsatile GH secretion or IGF1 or IGF-binding protein (IGFBP)-3 concentrations. IGFBP-1 (P<0.0001) and abdominal visceral fat (AVF, P=0.017) correlated negatively with fasting basal GH secretion. By contrast, IGF1 (P=0.0012) and IGFBP-3 (P=0.015) correlated positively with fasting pulsatile GH secretion. AVF (P=0.0024) was a negative determinant, and IGF1 a positive determinant (P=0.018), of GHRH-driven GH pulses. Responses to GHRP-2 were unrelated to any of these factors. CONCLUSION l-arginine/GHRP-2 appears to be an especially robust stimulus of GH secretion, since efficacy is unmodified by profound short-term hypogonadism, a range of AVF estimates, and a spectrum of IGF1, IGFBP-1, and IGFBP-3 concentrations. Whether robustness also applies to chronic hypogonadism is not known.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Clinical Translational Science Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
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Veldhuis JD, Hudson SB, Erickson D, Bailey JN, Reynolds GA, Bowers CY. Relative effects of estrogen, age, and visceral fat on pulsatile growth hormone secretion in healthy women. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2009; 297:E367-74. [PMID: 19470834 PMCID: PMC2724113 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00230.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Growth hormone (GH) secretion is subject to complex regulation. How pre- and postmenopausal age (PRE, POST), estradiol (E(2)) availability, and abdominal visceral fat (AVF) jointly affect peptidyl-secretagogue drive of GH secretion is not known. To this end, healthy PRE (n = 20) and POST (n = 22) women underwent a low- vs. high-E(2) clamp before receiving a continuous intravenous infusion of GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) or GH-releasing peptide (GHRP-2). According to analysis of covariance, PRE and POST women achieved age-independent hypo- and euestrogenemia under respective low- and high-E(2) clamps. All four of age (P < 0.001), E(2) status (P = 0.006), secretagogue type (P < 0.001), and an age x peptide interaction (P = 0.014) controlled pulsatile GH secretion. Independently of E(2) status, POST women had lower GH responses to both GHRH (P = 0.028) and GHRP-2 (P < 0.001) than PRE women. Independently of age, GHRP-2 was more stimulatory than GHRH during low E(2) (P = 0.011) and high E(2) (P < 0.001). Stepwise forward-selection multivariate analysis revealed that computerized tomographic estimates of AVF explained 22% of the variability in GHRH action (P = 0.002), whereas age and E(2) together explained 60% of the variability in GHRP-2 drive (P < 0.001). These data establish that age, estrogen status, and AVF are triple covariates of continuous peptide-secretagogue drive of pulsatile GH secretion in women. Each factor must be controlled for to allow valid comparisons of GH-axis activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Endocrine Research Unit, Clinical Translational Research Unit, Mayo Medical and Graduate Schools of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, USA.
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Roelfsema F, Kok P, Frolich M, Pereira AM, Pijl H. Disordered and increased adrenocorticotropin secretion with diminished adrenocorticotropin potency in obese in premenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:2991-7. [PMID: 19454578 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-0350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The pituitary-adrenal ensemble of obese humans is marked by increased urinary excretion of cortisol and its metabolites in the face of normal circulating cortisol levels. For better understanding of the (patho) physiological meaning of these changes, the mechanistic underpinnings need to be clarified. INTERVENTION AND METHODS We investigated 17 obese women [body mass index (BMI) 30-39.4 kg/m(2)] and 14 normal women (BMI, 18.3-24.8 kg/m(2)) who underwent 24-h blood sampling at 10-min intervals, and plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations were measured with sensitive assays. Data were analyzed with a new deconvolution program, approximate entropy (ApEn) analyses, and cosinor regression. OUTCOME ACTH and cortisol production rates were higher in obese women than in controls and correlated with BMI. Secretion of ACTH correlated with leptin (R = 0.63; P = 0.0001) and insulin (R = 0.67; P = 0.0001). ACTH ApEn and forward ACTH-cortisol cross-ApEn were diminished in obese women. The half-maximal effective concentration (ED(50)) of ACTH pulses vs. cortisol pulses was higher in obese women (38.3 +/- 4.9 vs. 25.1 +/- 3.7 ng/liter; P = 0.03), indicating decreased potency of ACTH. The diurnal properties of ACTH and cortisol secretion were unchanged in obese females. CONCLUSION Obese women exhibit enhanced ACTH and cortisol 24-h production compared with lean controls. The amplified ACTH drive is accompanied by decreased secretory regularity and diminished forward coupling between ACTH and cortisol. In addition, the potency of ACTH is decreased in obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Liu PY, Keenan DM, Kok P, Padmanabhan V, O'Byrne KT, Veldhuis JD. Sensitivity and specificity of pulse detection using a new deconvolution method. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2009; 297:E538-44. [PMID: 19531646 PMCID: PMC2724108 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00071.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying pulsatile secretion from serial hormone concentration measurements (deconvolution analysis) requires automated, objective, and accurate detection of pulse times to ensure valid estimation of secretion and elimination parameters. Lack of validated pulse identification constitutes a major deficiency in the deconvolution field, because individual pulse size and number reflect regulated processes that are critical for the function and response of secretory glands. To evaluate deconvolution pulse detection accuracy, four empirical models of true-positive markers of pituitary (LH) pulses were used. 1) Sprague-Dawley rats had recordings of hypothalamic arcuate nucleus multiunit electrical activity, 2) ovariectomized ewes underwent sampling of hypothalamo-pituitary gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH pulses), 3) healthy young men were infused with trains of biosynthetic LH pulses after GnRH receptor blockade, and 4) computer simulations of pulsatile LH profiles were constructed. Outcomes comprised sensitivity, specificity, and receiver-operating characteristic curves. Sensitivity and specificity were 0.93 and 0.97, respectively, for combined empirical data in the rat, sheep, and human (n = 156 pulses) and 0.94 and 0.92, respectively, for computer simulations (n = 1,632 pulses). For simulated data, pulse-set selection by the Akaike information criterion yielded slightly higher sensitivity than by the Bayesian information criterion, and the reverse was true for specificity. False-positive errors occurred primarily at low-pulse amplitude, and false-negative errors occurred principally with close pulse proximity. Random variability (noise), sparse sampling, and rapid pulse frequency reduced pulse detection sensitivity more than specificity. We conclude that an objective automated pulse detection deconvolution procedure has high sensitivity and specificity, thus offering a platform for quantitative neuroendocrine analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Y Liu
- Endocrine Research Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Medical School, Mayo School of Graduate MedicalEducation, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA
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Roelfsema F, Biermasz NR, Frolich M, Keenan DM, Veldhuis JD, Romijn JA. Diminished and irregular thyrotropin secretion with preserved diurnal rhythm in patients with active acromegaly. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:1945-50. [PMID: 19336512 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-0174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT The hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis in acromegaly may be altered. Previous studies report diminished serum TSH concentrations in patients with active acromegaly and decreased response to TRH. On the other hand, most patients have normal thyroid hormone concentrations. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to analyze serum TSH profiles in relation to GH profiles in patients with untreated acromegaly, in order to delineate aberrations in the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid system. INTERVENTION Twenty-one patients with active acromegaly and matched controls underwent a 24-h, 10-min blood sampling study. GH and TSH data were analyzed with a newly developed automated deconvolution program, approximate entropy, and cosinor regression. RESULTS Basal (10.4 +/- 2.0 vs. 13.8 +/- 1.4 mU/liter . 24 h; P = 0.02) and pulsatile (11.4 +/- 1.7 vs. 18.6 +/- 1.6 mU/liter . 24 h; P = 0.002) TSH secretion was decreased in patients. TSH secretory regularity was diminished with loss of pattern synchrony between TSH and GH. Total TSH secretion correlated with TSH increase after TRH (R = 0.75; P = 0.0001), negatively with the log-transformed GH secretion rate (R = -0.52; P = 0.001), but not with adenoma size. The diurnal TSH rhythm was preserved. Total and free T4 concentrations were similar in patients and controls. CONCLUSION Basal and pulsatile TSH secretion is decreased in active acromegaly, although T4 levels are unaffected. Diminished TSH secretion is compatible with enhanced restraint by tumoral GH feedback-driven somatostatin outflow, explaining also the reduced regularity of TSH secretion. Unchanged T4 concentrations might reflect decreased sympathetic function in GH excess states, heightening responsiveness of the thyroid gland to TSH.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Leiden University Medical Center, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, P.O. Box 9600, Leiden 2300 RC, The Netherlands.
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Veldhuis JD, Keenan DM, Bailey JN, Adeniji AM, Miles JM, Bowers CY. Novel relationships of age, visceral adiposity, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I and IGF binding protein concentrations to growth hormone (GH) releasing-hormone and GH releasing-peptide efficacies in men during experimental hypogonadal clamp. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:2137-43. [PMID: 19351723 PMCID: PMC2690428 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-0136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex steroids influence GH secretion in complex ways. HYPOTHESIS Analyses in a low sex-steroid milieu will help unveil the effects of age and other nonsteroidal regulators on GH secretion. CONTEXT The study was conducted in a tertiary medical center. SUBJECTS The study group included 13 healthy young men and 12 healthy older men. METHODS We used GnRH agonist-induced down-regulation of testosterone and estradiol secretion, followed by consecutive infusion of l-arginine and GHRH or GHRP-2, to test secretagogue efficacies. OUTCOMES We measured basal and pulsatile GH secretion. RESULTS During experimental testosterone/estradiol deprivation, older (57 +/- 1.7 yr) men maintained: 1) 6.8-fold less pulsatile GH secretion (P < 0.001); and 2) 2-fold lower maximal GH responses to GHRH (P = 0.0065) and GHRP-2 (P = 0.022) than young (23 +/- 1.1 yr old) individuals. Stepwise forward-selection regression analyses identified: 1) abdominal visceral fat as a dominant negative predictor of both GHRH (R(2) = 0.49; P = 0.001) and GHRP-2 (R(2) = 0.38; P = 0.005) efficacies; and 2) fasting IGF-I concentration as a major positive correlate of GHRH (R(2) = 0.52; P < 0.001) and GHRP-2 (R(2) = 0.31; P = 0.018) efficacies. Unstimulated pulsatile GH secretion was jointly correlated with IGF-I and IGFBP-3 (P = 0.039). CONCLUSION Measures of body composition (abdominal visceral fat) and pulsatile GH action (IGF-I) explain up to one half of interindividual variability in the efficacies of GHRH and GHRP-2 in sex steroid-depleted men. Accordingly, normative ranges for maximal single peptide-stimulated GH secretion in short-term hypogonadal states should incorporate the influence of these determinants as well as age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Clinical Translational Science Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
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Kok P, Roelfsema F, Frölich M, van Pelt J, Meinders AE, Pijl H. Bromocriptine reduces augmented thyrotropin secretion in obese premenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:1176-81. [PMID: 19190107 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2008-2303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Diurnal TSH secretion is enhanced in obese premenopausal women. Dopamine inhibits TSH secretion through activation of dopamine D(2) receptors (D(2)R). Dopamine D(2)R availability in the brain is reduced in obese humans in proportion to body adiposity. We hypothesized that deficient dopamine D(2)R signaling is involved in the enhanced TSH secretion associated with obesity. OBJECTIVE The effect of short-term bromocriptine treatment on spontaneous TSH secretion in obese women was studied while body weight and caloric intake remained constant. DESIGN AND SETTING We conducted a prospective, fixed-order, crossover study in a Clinical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS Seventeen obese women (body mass index, 33.2 +/- 0.6 kg/m(2)) were studied twice in the early follicular phase of their menstrual cycle. INTERVENTION Subjects were treated for 8 d with placebo and bromocriptine. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Blood was collected for 24 h at 10-min intervals, and TSH and leptin were analyzed with deconvolution and correlation techniques, approximate entropy, and cosine regression. RESULTS Bromocriptine reduced 24-h TSH secretion (placebo, 29.8 +/- 4.6 mU/liter . 24 h, vs. bromocriptine, 22.4 +/- 3.7 mU/liter . 24 h; P = 0.001), whereas free T(4) and total T(3) concentrations did not change. Bromocriptine administration reduced the mesor and amplitude of the 24-h rhythm without resetting the phase. The regularity of the subordinate TSH pattern and synchrony between leptin and TSH were unaffected by bromocriptine. CONCLUSION Activation of dopamine D(2)R by bromocriptine reverses enhanced diurnal TSH secretion in obese women. Thus, reduced dopaminergic neuronal signaling might be involved in the perturbation of the thyrotrope hormonal axis in obese premenopausal women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Kok
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Keenan DM, Alexander S, Irvine C, Veldhuis JD. Quantifying nonlinear interactions within the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in the conscious horse. Endocrinology 2009; 150:1941-51. [PMID: 19022882 PMCID: PMC2659283 DOI: 10.1210/en.2008-1249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cortisol is an important mediator of physiological stress responses. Hypothalamic CRH and arginine vasopressin (AVP) and pituitary ACTH, in addition to hypothalamic and pituitary cortisol feedback, regulate cortisol secretion. Importantly, joint interactions among the four, rather than the signal of any one hormone, govern this life-preserving axis. Quantifying in vivo strength of such joint interactions has been difficult, especially without direct injection of cortisol, CRH, AVP, or ACTH. The goal of the present research was to estimate these joint feedback and feedforward interactions in vivo in the conscious horse during low-cortisol and hypoglycemic stress. Pituitary venous sampling of ACTH, CRH, and AVP was performed every 0.5-1 min and jugular venous sampling of cortisol every 15-20 min. Estimation of hypothalamic dynamics revealed that: 1) hypocortisolemia amplifies CRH and AVP secretion, when mean (slow) and rate-adjusted (rapid) cortisol feedback concentrations decrease by 0-25%; and 2) reduced peptide feedback augments CRH and AVP secretion, when CRH and AVP secretion each decreases by 0-25 and 50% of its respective maximum. Thus, low-cortisol feedback enhances CRH outflow in part by relieving CRH's autoinhibition. Estimation of pituitary dynamics disclosed that: 1) endogenous CRH and AVP synergize in evoking ACTH secretion, and 2) hypocortisolemia potentiates individual and conjoint stimulation of ACTH secretion by CRH and AVP. Formulations such as the present one should have application to evaluating other complex endocrine dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel M Keenan
- Department of Statistics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, USA
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Veldhuis JD, Mielke KL, Cosma M, Soares-Welch C, Paulo R, Miles JM, Bowers CY. Aromatase and 5alpha-reductase inhibition during an exogenous testosterone clamp unveils selective sex steroid modulation of somatostatin and growth hormone secretagogue actions in healthy older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:973-81. [PMID: 19088159 PMCID: PMC2681279 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2008-2108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND How endogenous testosterone (Te), 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and estradiol (E(2)) regulate pulsatile GH secretion is not understood. HYPOTHESIS Conversion of Te to androgenic (Te-->DHT) or estrogenic (Te-->E(2)) products directs GH secretion. SUBJECTS AND LOCATION: Healthy older men (N = 42, ages 50-79 yr) participated at an academic medical center. METHODS We inhibited 5alpha-reduction with dutasteride and aromatization with anastrozole during a pharmacological Te clamp and infused somatostatin (SS), GHRH, GH-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), and L-arginine/GHRH/GHRP-2 (triple stimulus) to modulate GH secretion. ENDPOINTS Deconvolution-estimated basal and pulsatile GH secretion was assessed. RESULTS Administration of Te/placebo elevated Te by 2.8-fold, DHT by 2.6-fold, and E(2) concentrations by 1.9-fold above placebo/placebo. Te/dutasteride and Te/anastrozole reduced stimulated DHT and E(2) by 89 and 86%, respectively. Stepwise forward-selection regression analysis revealed that 1) Te positively determines mean (P = 0.017) and peak (P < 0.001) GH concentrations, basal GH secretion (P = 0.015), and pulsatile GH secretion stimulated by GHRP-2 (P < 0.001); 2) Te and E(2) jointly predict GH responses to the triple stimulus (positively for Te, P = 0.006, and negatively for E(2), P = 0.031); and 3) DHT correlates positively with pulsatile GH secretion during SS infusion (P = 0.011). These effects persisted when abdominal visceral fat was included in the regression. CONCLUSION The present outcomes suggest a tetrapartite model of GH regulation in men, in which systemic concentrations of Te, DHT, and E(2) along with abdominal visceral fat determine the selective actions of GH secretagogues and SS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Endocrine Research Unit, Clinical Translational Research Center, Mayo Medical and Graduate Schools, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota 55901, USA.
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Veldhuis JD, Keenan DM, Liu PY, Iranmanesh A, Takahashi PY, Nehra AX. The aging male hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis: pulsatility and feedback. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2009; 299:14-22. [PMID: 18838102 PMCID: PMC2662347 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2008.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/24/2007] [Revised: 09/02/2008] [Accepted: 09/04/2008] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Aging results in insidious decremental changes in hypothalamic, pituitary and gonadal function. The foregoing three main anatomic loci of control are regulated by intermittent time-delayed signal exchange, principally via gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone/estradiol (Te/E(2)). A mathematical framework is required to embody these dynamics. The present review highlights integrative adaptations in the aging male hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, as assessed by recent objective ensemble models of the axis as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Steet SW, Rochester, MN 55905, United States.
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Roelfsema F, Kok S, Kok P, Pereira AM, Biermasz NR, Smit JW, Frolich M, Keenan DM, Veldhuis JD, Romijn JA. Pituitary-hormone secretion by thyrotropinomas. Pituitary 2009; 12:200-10. [PMID: 19051037 PMCID: PMC2712623 DOI: 10.1007/s11102-008-0159-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Hormone secretion by somatotropinomas, corticotropinomas and prolactinomas exhibits increased pulse frequency, basal and pulsatile secretion, accompanied by greater disorderliness. Increased concentrations of growth hormone (GH) or prolactin (PRL) are observed in about 30% of thyrotropinomas leading to acromegaly or disturbed sexual functions beyond thyrotropin (TSH)-induced hyperthyroidism. Regulation of non-TSH pituitary hormones in this context is not well understood. We there therefore evaluated TSH, GH and PRL secretion in 6 patients with up-to-date analytical and mathematical tools by 24-h blood sampling at 10-min intervals in a clinical research laboratory. The profiles were analyzed with a new deconvolution method, approximate entropy, cross-approximate entropy, cross-correlation and cosinor regression. TSH burst frequency and basal and pulsatile secretion were increased in patients compared with controls. TSH secretion patterns in patients were more irregular, but the diurnal rhythm was preserved at a higher mean with a 2.5 h phase delay. Although only one patient had clinical acromegaly, GH secretion and IGF-I levels were increased in two other patients and all three had a significant cross-correlation between the GH and TSH. PRL secretion was increased in one patient, but all patients had a significant cross-correlation with TSH and showed decreased PRL regularity. Cross-ApEn synchrony between TSH and GH did not differ between patients and controls, but TSH and PRL synchrony was reduced in patients. We conclude that TSH secretion by thyrotropinomas shares many characteristics of other pituitary hormone-secreting adenomas. In addition, abnormalities in GH and PRL secretion exist ranging from decreased (joint) regularity to overt hypersecretion, although not always clinically obvious, suggesting tumoral transformation of thyrotrope lineage cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferdinand Roelfsema
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center, Albinusdreef 2 NL2333ZA, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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Veldhuis JD, Keenan DM, Bailey JN, Adeniji A, Miles JM, Paulo R, Cosma M, Soares-Welch C. Testosterone supplementation in older men restrains insulin-like growth factor's dose-dependent feedback inhibition of pulsatile growth hormone secretion. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009; 94:246-54. [PMID: 18984660 PMCID: PMC2630862 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2008-1516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pulsatile GH secretion declines in older men. The causal mechanisms are unknown. Candidates include deficient feedforward (stimulation) by endogenous secretagogues and excessive feedback (inhibition) by GH or IGF-I due to age and/or relative hypoandrogenemia. HYPOTHESIS Testosterone (T) supplementation in healthy older men will restrain negative feedback by systemic concentrations of IGF-I. SUBJECTS Twenty-four healthy men (ages, 50 to 75 yr; body mass index, 24 to 30 kg/m(2)) participated in the study. METHODS We performed a prospectively randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled assessment of the impact of pharmacological T supplementation on GH responses to randomly ordered separate-day injections of recombinant human IGF-I doses of 0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mg/m(2). ANALYSIS Deconvolution and approximate entropy analyses of pulsatile, basal, and entropic (pattern-sensitive) modes of GH secretion were conducted. RESULTS Recombinant human IGF-I injections 1) elevated mean and peak serum IGF-I concentrations dose-dependently (both P < 0.001); 2) suppressed pulsatile GH secretion (P = 0.003), burst mass (P = 0.025), burst number (P = 0.005), interpulse variability (P = 0.032), and basal GH secretion (P = 0.009); and 3) increased secretory pattern regularity (P = 0.020). T administration did not alter experimentally controlled IGF-I concentrations, but it elevated mean GH concentrations (P = 0.015) and stimulated pulsatile GH secretion (frequency P = 0.037, mass per burst P = 0.038). Compared with placebo, T attenuated exogenous IGF-I's inhibition of GH secretory-burst mass (P < 0.038) without restoring pulse number, basal secretion, or pattern regularity. CONCLUSION The capability of systemic T to mute IGF-I feedback on pulsatile GH secretion suggests a novel mechanism for augmenting GH production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Department of Medicine, Endocrine Research Unit, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Clinical Translational Science Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
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Weltman A, Weltman JY, Watson Winfield DD, Frick K, Patrie J, Kok P, Keenan DM, Gaesser GA, Veldhuis JD. Effects of continuous versus intermittent exercise, obesity, and gender on growth hormone secretion. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2008; 93:4711-20. [PMID: 18782875 PMCID: PMC2626448 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2008-0998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CONTEXT Obesity attenuates spontaneous GH secretion and the GH response to exercise. Obese individuals often have low fitness levels, limiting their ability to complete a typical 30-min bout of continuous exercise. An alternative regimen in obese subjects may be shorter bouts of exercise interspersed throughout the day. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to examine whether intermittent and continuous exercise interventions evoke similar patterns of 24-h GH secretion and whether responses are attenuated in obese subjects or affected by gender. DESIGN This was a repeated-measures design in which each subject served as their own control. SETTING This study was conducted at the University of Virginia General Clinical Research Center. SUBJECTS Subjects were healthy nonobese (n = 15) and obese (n = 14) young adults. INTERVENTIONS Subjects were studied over 24 h at the General Clinical Research Center on three occasions: control, one 30-min bout of exercise, and three 10-min bouts of exercise. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Twenty-four hour GH secretion was measured. RESULTS Compared with unstimulated 24-h GH secretion, both intermittent and continuous exercise, at constant exercise intensity, resulted in severalfold elevation of 24-h integrated serum GH concentrations in young adults. Basal and pulsatile modes of GH secretion were attenuated both at rest and during exercise in obese subjects. CONCLUSIONS The present data suggest that continuous and intermittent exercise training should be comparably effective in increasing 24-h GH secretion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Weltman
- Department of Human Services, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22904, USA.
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Veldhuis JD, Keenan DM, Pincus SM. Motivations and methods for analyzing pulsatile hormone secretion. Endocr Rev 2008; 29:823-64. [PMID: 18940916 PMCID: PMC2647703 DOI: 10.1210/er.2008-0005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 156] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2008] [Accepted: 09/16/2008] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Endocrine glands communicate with remote target cells via a mixture of continuous and intermittent signal exchange. Continuous signaling allows slowly varying control, whereas intermittency permits large rapid adjustments. The control systems that mediate such homeostatic corrections operate in a species-, gender-, age-, and context-selective fashion. Significant progress has been made in understanding mechanisms of adaptive interglandular signaling in vivo. Principal goals are to understand the physiological origins, significance, and mechanisms of pulsatile hormone secretion. Key analytical issues are: 1) to quantify the number, size, shape, and uniformity of pulses, nonpulsatile (basal) secretion, and elimination kinetics; 2) to evaluate regulation of the axis as a whole; and 3) to reconstruct dose-response interactions without disrupting hormone connections. This review will focus on the motivations driving and the methodologies used for such analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes D Veldhuis
- Endocrine Research Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Medical School, Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education, Center for Translational Science Activities, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA.
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