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da Rosa LA, Escott GM, Simonetti RB, da Silva JCD, Werlang ICR, Goldani MZ, de Fraga LS, Loss EDS. Role of non-classical effects of testosterone and epitestosterone on AMH balance and testicular development parameters. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2020; 511:110850. [PMID: 32387527 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2020.110850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Testosterone (T) and its 17-α epimer, epitestosterone (EpiT), are described as having non-classical effects in addition to their classical androgen actions via the intracellular androgen receptor (iAR). The actions of these androgens play an essential role in triggering factors that shift Sertoli cells from the proliferation phase to the maturation phase. This process is essential for successful spermatogenesis and normal fertility. The aim of this work was to investigate the difference between T and EpiT effects in normal and in chemically castrated Wistar rats. We also tested the effects of these hormones when the iAR-dependent pathways were inhibited by the antiandrogen flutamide. Rats were chemically castrated on postnatal day (pnd) 5 using EDS, a cytotoxic agent that promotes apoptosis of Leydig cells, reducing androgen levels. Then, animals received replacement with T or EpiT and were treated or not with flutamide from pnd 6 to pnd 13 or 20 and were euthanized on pnd 14 and 21. Animals treated with EpiT and flutamide had lower body weight overall. Epididymis weight was also reduced in animals treated with EpiT and flutamide. Flutamide per se reduced epididymis weight at both ages (pnd 14 and 21). Testicular weight and the testicular/body weight ratio were reduced in EDS animals, and flutamide further reduced this weight in animals which received T replacement. EDS administration reduced mRNA levels of both AMH (anti-Müllerian hormone) and its receptor, AMHR2, at pnd 14. In the testes of flutamide-treated animals, EpiT reduced AMH, and both T and EpiT replacement diminished AMHR2 mRNA expression also on pnd 14. EDS decreased iAR expression, and androgen replacement did not change this effect on pnd 21. In rats receiving flutamide, only those also receiving T and EpiT replacement exhibited decreased iAR expression. An increase in connexin 43 expression was observed in animals treated with EpiT without flutamide, whereas in rats treated with flutamide, both hormones were ineffective to increase connexin 43 expression reduced by EDS. Our results suggest that EpiT has an antiandrogen effect on androgen-sensitive tissues such as the epididymis. Nonetheless, the effects of T and EpiT on testicular development parameters are similar. Both hormones may act through their iAR-independent non-classical pathway, regulating AMH and AMHR2, as well as iAR expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Abreu da Rosa
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Laboratório de Pediatria Translacional/Núcleo de Estudos em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente (NESCA)/Centro de Pesquisa Experimental, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Gustavo Monteiro Escott
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Médicas: Endocrinologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Rajla Bressan Simonetti
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Jessica Caroline Dias da Silva
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Isabel Cristina Ribas Werlang
- Laboratório de Pediatria Translacional/Núcleo de Estudos em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente (NESCA)/Centro de Pesquisa Experimental, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Marcelo Zubaran Goldani
- Laboratório de Pediatria Translacional/Núcleo de Estudos em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente (NESCA)/Centro de Pesquisa Experimental, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Luciano Stürmer de Fraga
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Eloísa da Silveira Loss
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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2
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Cavalari FC, da Rosa LA, Escott GM, Dourado T, de Castro AL, Kohek MBDF, Ribeiro MFM, Partata WA, de Fraga LS, Loss EDS. Epitestosterone- and testosterone-replacement in immature castrated rats changes main testicular developmental characteristics. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2018; 461:112-121. [PMID: 28870779 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2017.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2017] [Revised: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 08/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Epitestosterone is the 17α-epimer of testosterone and has been described as an anti-androgen, since it inhibits the effects produced by testosterone and dihydrotestosterone via the nuclear androgen receptor (nAR). However, epitestosterone also displays an effect which is similar to the non-classical effect of testosterone, depolarizing the membrane potential of Sertoli cells and inducing a rapid Ca2+ uptake. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a treatment with epitestosterone on developmental parameters of immature rats. Animals were chemically castrated by using the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist cetrorelix and then received a replacement of 7 days with epitestosterone or testosterone. Replacement with either epitestosterone or testosterone restored the anogenital distance (AGD) and testicular weight which had been reduced by chemical castration. The immunocontent of nAR and the nAR-immunoreactivity were reduced by epitestosterone treatment in the testis of both castrated and non-castrated animals. Furthermore, testosterone was unable of changing the membrane potential of Sertoli cells through its non-classical action in the group of animals castrated and replaced with epitestosterone. In conclusion, in relation to the level of protein expression of nAR epitestosterone acts as an anti-androgen. However, it acts in the same way as testosterone when genital development parameters are evaluated. Moreover, in castrated rats epitestosterone suppressed the non-classical response of testosterone, changing the pattern of testosterone signalling via a membrane mechanism in Sertoli cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda Carvalho Cavalari
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, PPG Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Sala 337, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Luciana Abreu da Rosa
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, PPG Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Sala 337, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Gustavo Monteiro Escott
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, PPG Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Sala 337, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Tadeu Dourado
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, PPG Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Sala 337, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Alexandre Luz de Castro
- Centro Universitário Ritter dos Reis, UNIRITTER, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, UFCSPA, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | | | - Maria Flávia Marques Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Interação Neuro-Humoral, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Wania Aparecida Partata
- Laboratório de Neurobiologia Comparada, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Luciano Stürmer de Fraga
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, PPG Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Sala 337, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
| | - Eloísa da Silveira Loss
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, PPG Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite 500, Sala 337, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
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da Rosa LA, Escott GM, Cavalari FC, Schneider CMM, de Fraga LS, Loss EDS. Non-classical effects of androgens on testes from neonatal rats. Steroids 2015; 93:32-8. [PMID: 25449768 DOI: 10.1016/j.steroids.2014.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Revised: 08/12/2014] [Accepted: 10/25/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The intratesticular testosterone concentration is high during the early postnatal period although the intracellular androgen receptor expression (iAR) is still absent in Sertoli cells (SCs). This study aimed to evaluate the non-classical effects of testosterone and epitestosterone on calcium uptake and the electrophysiological effects of testosterone (1μM) on SCs from rats on postnatal day (pnd) 3 and 4 with lack of expression of the iAR. In addition, crosstalk on the electrophysiological effects of testosterone and epitestosterone with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) in SCs from 15-day-old rats was evaluated. The isotope (45)Ca(2+) was utilized to evaluate the effects of testosterone and epitestosterone in calcium uptake. The membrane potential of SCs was recorded using a standard single microelectrode technique. No immunoreaction concerning the iAR was observed in SCs on pnd 3 and 4. At this age, both testosterone and epitestosterone increased the (45)Ca(2+) uptake. Testosterone promoted membrane potential depolarization of SCs on pnd 4. FSH application followed by testosterone and epitestosterone reduced the depolarization of the two hormones. Application of epitestosterone 5 min after FSH resulted in a delay of epitestosterone-promoted depolarization. The cell resistance was also reduced. Thus, in SCs from neonatal Wistar rats, both testosterone and epitestosterone act through a non-classical mechanism stimulating calcium uptake in whole testes, and testosterone produces a depolarizing effect on SC membranes. Testosterone and epitestosterone stimulates non-classical actions via a membrane mechanism, which is independent of iAR. FSH and testosterone/epitestosterone affect each other's electrophysiological responses suggesting crosstalk between the intracellular signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luciana Abreu da Rosa
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Monteiro Escott
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Carvalho Cavalari
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Clara Maria Müller Schneider
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Luciano Stürmer de Fraga
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | - Eloísa da Silveira Loss
- Laboratório de Endocrinologia Experimental e Eletrofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
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Havlíková H, Hill M, Hampl R, Stárka L. Sex- and age-related changes in epitestosterone in relation to pregnenolone sulfate and testosterone in normal subjects. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002; 87:2225-31. [PMID: 11994368 DOI: 10.1210/jcem.87.5.8499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Epitestosterone has been demonstrated to act at various levels as a weak antiandrogen. So far, its serum levels have been followed up only in males. Epitestosterone and its major circulating precursor pregnenolone sulfate and T were measured in serum from 211 healthy women and 386 men to find out whether serum concentrations of epitestosterone are sufficient to exert its antiandrogenic actions. In women, epitestosterone exhibited a maximum around 20 yr of age, followed by a continuous decline up to menopause and by a further increase in the postmenopause. In men, maximum epitestosterone levels were detected at around 35 yr of age, followed by a continuous decrease. Pregnenolone sulfate levels in women reached their maximum at about age 32 yr and then declined continuously, and in males the maximum was reached about 5 yr earlier and then remained nearly constant. Epitestosterone correlated with pregnenolone sulfate only in males. In both sexes a sharp decrease of the epitestosterone/T ratio around puberty occurred. In conclusion, concentrations of epitestosterone and pregnenolone sulfate are age dependent and, at least in prepubertal boys and girls, epitestosterone reaches or even exceeds the concentrations of T, thus supporting its role as an endogenous antiandrogen. The dissimilarities in the course of epitestosterone levels through the lifespan of men and women and its relation to pregnenolone sulfate concentrations raise the question of the contribution of the adrenals and gonads to the production of both steroids and even to the uniformity of the mechanism of epitestosterone formation.
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Berlau J, Roemer W, Oettel M, Hipler UC, Patchev V, Schreiber G. 17 Alpha-oestradiol and 17 beta-oestradiol do not affect basal and follicle-stimulating hormone-stimulated inhibin B secretion by highly purified rat Sertoli cells. Andrologia 2000; 32:345-9. [PMID: 11131843 DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0272.2000.00354.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of 17 alpha-oestradiol and 17 beta-oestradiol on basal and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-stimulated inhibin B secretion by rat Sertoli cells were studied. Sertoli cells were isolated and cultivated from testes of 18-day-old Wistar rats in the presence and absence of FSH and different doses of oestrogens. On day 4 of culture, secreted inhibin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Neither 17 alpha-oestradiol nor 17 beta-oestradiol had any effect on the secreted inhibin level in either the presence or absence of FSH. It is concluded that these oestradiols do not play an essential role in regulatory processes involving inhibin or FSH.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Berlau
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Rostock, Germany
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Rebers FE, Hassing GA, Zandbergen MA, Goos HJ, Schulz RW. Regulation of steady-state luteinizing hormone messenger ribonucleic acid levels, de novo synthesis, and release by sex steroids in primary pituitary cell cultures of male African catfish, Clarias gariepinus. Biol Reprod 2000; 62:864-72. [PMID: 10727254 DOI: 10.1095/biolreprod62.4.864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary pituitary cell cultures from sexually mature adult male African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, were used to study the regulation of LH biosynthesis by sex steroids. The cell cultures were exposed to testosterone (T), estradiol (E(2)), or 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a nonaromatizable analogue of T, and to the likewise nonaromatizable 11-ketotestosterone (KT) and 11beta-hydroxyandrostenedione (OHA), physiologically relevant androgens in fish. Both T and E(2) elevated glycoprotein alpha (GPalpha) and LHbeta steady-state mRNA levels (quantified by RNase protection assay), de novo synthesis (metabolic incorporation of radioactive amino acids and subsequent immune precipitation of LH), and release of preferentially newly synthesized LH, while DHT had no effect. Inhibiting the aromatase activity abolished the stimulatory effects of T. The effects of E(2) on LH mRNA levels and de novo synthesis were dose dependent. Incubation with 10 ng/ml KT elevated GPalpha and LHbeta mRNA levels, while other concentrations of KT or all concentrations of OHA tested had no effect. The amount of newly synthesized LH, on the other hand, was decreased dose-dependently by OHA but not by KT. Since this OHA-induced decrease did not change the specific activity (dpm immune precipitable [(3)H]-LH/ng immune-reactive LH) of LH, we hypothesize that OHA exerted its effect by activating a crinophagic breakdown of secretory granules in catfish gonadotrophs. Electron microscopic examination of gonadotrophs after in vitro exposure to 50 ng OHA/ml revealed that breakdown organelles had increased in size significantly. We conclude that the balanced production of aromatizable (mainly stimulatory) and 11-oxygenated androgens (mainly inhibitory) may be an important factor in regulating the amounts of LH available for secretion in male African catfish.
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Affiliation(s)
- F E Rebers
- Department of Experimental Zoology, Research Group for Comparative Endocrinology, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Hill M, Hampl R, Petrík R, Stárka L. Concentration of the endogenous antiandrogen epitestosterone and androgenic C19-steroids in hyperplastic prostatic tissue. Prostate 1996; 28:347-51. [PMID: 8650070 DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1097-0045(199606)28:6<347::aid-pros2>3.0.co;2-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Epitestosterone (epiT, 17 alpha-hydroxy-4-androsten-3-one), an endogenous C19-steroid in humans, was considered for a long time as a physiologically inactive steroid. Recently, its antiandrogenic properties have been discovered. For the evaluation of its biological availability in the target organs the tissue concentration is of importance. EpiT, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and androstenedione concentrations in prostatic tissue were determined in 15 prostate samples obtained by suprapubic prostatectomy for benign prostatic hyperplasia. The steroids were extracted and separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography and determined by specific radioimmunoassay (RIA) methods. The concentration of epiT (mean 58.4 +/- 40.4 SD, range 14.0-144.0 fmol/mg protein) exceeded that of testosterone and was approximately as high as that of dihydrotestosterone. EpiT level increased with age and the correlation was significant (P < 0.05). It did not correlate significantly with testosterone but did with androstenedione and dihydrotestosterone (P < 0.05, each). As expected, a positive correlation was found between testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Hill
- Institute of Endocrinology, First Medical Faculty, Charles University, Praha, Czech Republic
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Abstract
Epitestosterone has for a long time been considered as a biologically inactive steroid. However, recently a distinct antiandrogenic activity of this naturally occurring endogenous epimer of testosterone has been demonstrated. Epitestosterone plays a role in the control of doping with testosterone, since an arbitrary ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone in urine has been accepted as a marker for testosterone abuse. For this reason, its urinary excretion has been examined intensively by several authors. On the other hand, its concentration in the blood of men was reported only randomly in a few cases. In the present study the epitestosterone level in human plasma was determined by a specific radioimmunoassay and the concentration of epitestosterone was established in age groups of males of 6 to 65 years of age. There is a clear age dependence of epitestosterone plasma concentration in males. In young boys before puberty, antiandrogenic epitestosterone prevails over testosterone, in adults a striking decline of the ratio epitestosterone:testosterone can be observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Lapcík
- Institute of Endocrinology, Department of Steroid Hormones, Praha, Czech Republic
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