In vivo and in vitro sex steroids stimulate seabream gonadotropin-releasing hormone content and release in the protandrous black porgy, Acanthopagrus schlegeli

The objective of the present study was to investigate the regulation of seabream gonadotropin-releasing hormone (sbGnRH) release using in vivo and in vitro approaches in the protandrous black porgy, Acanthopagrus schlegeli. Estradiol-17β (E 2), testosterone (T), and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) were found to significantly stimulate the increase of sbGnRH levels in pituitary of black porgy after 5–96 h of injection. An in vitro culture system using dispersed brain neurons was also developed to investigate the effects of various steroids on sbGnRH release. Different doses (10 −6–10 −12M) of E 2, T, 11-KT, and cortisol were applied during 6 h experiment. KCl stimulated sbGnRH release at a dose- and time-dependent manner. The concentration of sbGnRH increased 2-fold in the highest dose of KCl treatment compared to the control. Treatments with E 2, T, 11-KT and cortisol significantly stimulated the release of sbGnRH from the cultured brain neurons. The concentration of sbGnRH in medium was increased by 2-, 1.9-, 2.1-, and 4.9-fold when treated with E 2, T, 11-KT, and cortisol, respectively, as compared to the respective control. Cholesterol did not have any stimulatory effects in the release of sbGnRH. The results showed that sex steroids and cortisol had direct effect on brain neuronal cells stimulating the release of sbGnRH.