E. S. E. Hafez

Effect of Panax Ginseng on Testosterone Level and Prostate in Male Rats

Adult male rats were treated with 1% and 5% Panax Ginseng in their diet for 60 days. Control rats were used. There was an increase in daily food consumption without an increase in body weight of treated animals. Rats that received 5% ginseng experienced a significant increase in blood testosterone level (rho less than 0.001). Prostate weight in the treated animals was significantly reduced as compared to the control animals.

Prolactin and Male Reproduction

Elevated levels of prolactin(PRL) are associated with gonadal dysfunction in men and women, but the relationship between PRL levels and gonadal activity is best defined in women. The purpose of this review is to summarize and discuss the influence of PRL on the male reproductive function in normaprolactinemia and to describe the clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic aspects of the male hyperprolactinemia syndrome as related to sexual dysfunction and infertility.

Spermiation and Epididymal Maturation of Spermatozoa in the Bonnet Macaque (Macaca radiata) as Viewed by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Spermiation and epididymal maturation of spermatozoa were studied in the bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata) by light and scanning electron microscopy. The morphology, location, and release of residual body were observed during spermiation. Along the epididymal duct, the shape of spermatozoa changed, the constriction at the anulus disappeared, the marginal thickening diminished in length, and the cytoplasmic droplet regressed and moved toward the posterior end of the middle piece. Mature spermatozoa were very similar to those of other Cercopithecidae, and they showed a forward motility and a drop in eosin stainability.

Male and female inhibin.

The testis and ovary secrete a nonsteroidal hormone that selectively inhibits pituitary FSH secretion. Inhibin, a polypeptide hormone produced by Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules and by the granulosa cells of the ovarian follicle, is isolated from seminal fluid, rete testis fluid testicular and ovarian extracts, and follicular fluid. There may be two forms of inhibin, a form of higher molecular weight (> 10,000 daltons) being the precursor of a low-molecular-weight form (> 5,000 daltons). The functional integrity of inhibin is destroyed by trypsin or pepsin digestion and exposure to heat. This induces the formation of antibodies that are able to neutralize endogenous inhibin when injected into adult males or females. Apart from its main action at the pituitary level, inhibin could also function at the hypothalamus or directly at the gonad. Inhibin inhibits the release of FSH and to a lesser extent of LH induced by exogenous GnRH in vivo and in vitro. Inhibin reduces the endogenous GnRH content of...

Effect of Urinary Bilharzial Infection on Male Pubertal Development and Endocrine Functions

One hundred seventy-five males aged 9-20 years were selected. The subjects comprised two groups; controls and patients infected with urinary bilharziasis not associated with any other parasite. Pubertal development was assessed. Serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, and progesterone were determined by radioimmunoassay procedure. Delay in pubertal development was evident in the normal control group as indicated by higher chronological age mean values at the various stages as compared to other world norms. Urinary bilharziasis exaggerated the delay in pubertal development as compared to that in the control group. In relation to the control group, the group with urinary bilharziasis had higher levels of serum FSH and LH, which were significant only at stages III and IV. No significant difference was noted between the two groups for serum testosterone and progesterone levels, except for the high progesterone mean value at stage V in the group with urinary bilharziasis.

Effect of LH-RH peptide antagonist on serum LH, ovulation and menstrual cycle of crab-eating macaque.

Abstract The effects of the antagonistic LH-RH analogue, D-(PHE 2 )-D-(ALA 6 )-LH-RH (Wy-18,185), were studied in the female crab — eating macaque (Macaca fascicularis) with emphasis on length of menstrual cycle, length and intensity of menstrual bleeding, serum LH, quantity and properties of cervical mucus, growth of the follicle and ovulation during the treatment and subsequent control cycles. Prior to the expected ovulation, the compound was administered subcutaneously, 25 mg/kg body weight/day, for 3 or 6 days. Blood was collected daily before, during and after treatment. Cervical mucus characteristics were charted daily. Laparoscopy was performed 2–4 days after presumed ovulation. Neither the length of the menstrual cycle nor the quality of the cervical mucus were dramatically altered during treatment with Wy-18,185. Of the nine macaques that were treated with six doses of Wy-18,185, two had anovulatory cycles associated with premature LH surges and one was devoid of an LH surge. It is possible that the partial anti-ovulatory effectif Wy-18,185 in the monkey may be due to its mildly inherent gonadotropin releasing properties triggering an LH surge at a time when the follicles were incapable of a complete ovulatory response. However, the general lack of effect of the antagonist, coupled with reports on the comparative refractoriness to LH-RH and related agonists, on reproductive parameters in this primate species, in contrast to the rat, rabbit and hamster, indicate that the macaque may be an inappropriate model.

Endocrine Profiles in Pediatric Andrology II. Insulin-Dependent Diabetic Adolescents

Seventy-five diabetic male and female children and 75 matched controls were classified according to pubertal staging. Blood samples were assayed for gonadotropins and gonadal hormones. The ultimate adult height in diabetic patients was 5 cm less than that of controls. Almost all diabetic children had a retarded bone age. Levels of serum gonadotropins and gonadal hormones did not differ markedly between diabetic and healthy children. The delay in growth and maturation was not due to hormonal failure, but probably to chronic undernutrition of body cells and failure to utilize the amino acids for protein anabolism related to relative insulin deficiency.

FSH, LH, E2, Progesterone, and Testosterone in Peripheral Blood, Spermatic Vein, and Semen of Subfertile Men with Varicocele

Peripheral blood (PB), spermatic vein (Sp. V.), and semen samples were collected from 31 subfertile men with varicocele. Levels of FSH, LH, estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone were determined in the three biological fluid compartments using RIA. Remarkable increases in both testosterone and estradiol in the spermatic vein samples, as compared to either peripheral blood or semen, were evident. Correlation coefficient indicated significant positive correlation between PB FSH and each of PB LH, Sp. V. FSH, and Sp. V. LH. Significant positive correlation existed between PB LH and each of Sp. V. FSH, LH, and testosterone. Significant positive correlations were found between PB testosterone and each of Sp. V. testosterone and semen testosterone, as well as between PB estradiol and each of Sp. V. FSH and progesterone. Significant positive correlations between Sp. V. FSH and Sp. V. testicular progesterone was significantly correlated with seminal estradiol.

In vitro response of rabbit utero-ovarian ligament to catecholamines.

The response of the rabbit utero-ovarian ligament to catecholamines has been studied in vitro, with contractile activity being recorded isometrically from whole rabbit ligaments obtained under various hormonal conditions. Both the catecholamines norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) produced dose-dependent (10(-2) mug/ml threshold; 10(2) mug/ml maximum) tetanic contractions of rabbit ligament. There was no difference (P less than 0.05) between estrous and ovulatory ligaments either in terms of the dose-response curves or maximal force of contraction. Both agonists were 100% antagonized by the alpha-blockers, phentolamine and phenoxybenzamine. The beta-agonist, isoproterenol, had little effect on ligament tonus but did inhibit spontaneous activity and attenuated the response to both NE and EPI. Propranolol, a beta-blocker, slightly (less than 10%) potentiated the stimulatory effects of NE and EPI. It is concluded that the utero-ovarian ligament of the rabbit contains predominately alpha-stimulatory and possibly weak beta-inhibitory receptors analogous to receptors in ovarian and oviductal smooth muscles.

Sperm Transport and Distribution in the Reproductive Tract of the Female Rabbit After Intraperitoneal Insemination

Both live and dead spermatozoa were used to study the transport and distribution of sperm in the reporductive tract of 3 groups of rabbits. The female rabbits studied were: 1) rabbits in estrus and not treated, 2) rabbits injected with 25 IU of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) 12 hours before intraperitoneal insemination, and 3) rabbits injected with HCG 96 hours before insemination. Upon autopsy, it was found that spermatozoa were transported in an abovarian and adovarian direction in the oviduct. Motile spermatozoa were more consistently recovered from the reproductive tract than immotile. Fewer spermatozoa were recovered from the reproductive tracts of pseudopregnant rabbits than rabbits in estrus or at ovulation. Sperm motility and oviduct contraction affect the pickup of spermatozoa by the fimbriae. Since most of the spermatozoa recovered from the oviduct were found in the ampulla, it is suggested that their abundance over those found in the isthmus was due to anatomical barriers in the oviduct created by the isthmus. Oviductal contractility is also seen to affect the distribution of sperm in the oviduct.