Estrogen-induced inhibition of spermatogenesis in zebrafish is largely reversed by androgen (original) (raw)

2018, Journal of molecular endocrinology

The hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis involves both gonadotropins and steroid hormones. Long-term exposure of adult zebrafish to estrogen impaired spermatogenesis associated with an androgen insufficiency, possibly induced by inhibiting gonadotropin release. Using this experimental model, we investigated if androgen treatment could enhance spermatogenesis, while maintaining the inhibition of gonadotropin release through continued estrogen exposure. Moreover, we also exposed animals to androgen alone, in order to examine androgen effects in the absence of estrogen-induced gonadotropin inhibition. Estrogen exposure depleted type B spermatogonia, meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells from the adult testis, but promoted the proliferation of type A undifferentiated spermatogonia, which accumulated in the testis. This change in germ cell composition was accompanied by reduced mRNA levels of those growth factors (e.g. and ) expressed by testicular somatic cells and known to stimulate spe...

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