• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.403-410
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• 2009

Those composing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) complex such as the temporal bone, the disc and the mandibular condyle perform their own functions with organic relation. The retrodiscal tissue is the main area of pain induction and contributes to compositional change of synovial fluid. If displacement of the disc lasts long time, not only adaptive changes, but also destructive or degenerative changes may happen. It was reported that these changes and symptoms appear mostly to female rather than male and especially, in the case of patients suffering from TMJ disorder, a large quantity of female sex hormone is found in the joint synovium. And that may play a role in bone resorption and inflammation. Also, the frequency and the intensity of pain perception for female is reported to be much more than for male. In this study, we investigated the expression extents of estrogen receptors (ER) and progesteron receptors (PR) in retrodiscal tissue with immunohistochemistry among the patients received TMJ surgery and compared with MRI findings and surgical findings. We report the relations between the expression of ER in retrodiscal tissue and the pathological change in TMJ, such as inflammation, internal derangement and osteoarthritis.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.189-202
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• 1997

The hypothalamic peptide GnRH plays a central role in the regulation of the mammalian reproductive axis. Recent studies suggested that GnRH stimulates or inhibits the ovarian steroidogenesis and gametogenesis directly. Our previous report indicated that GnRH gene is expressed in adult rat ovary as well as in hypothalamus and that the expressed GnRH may induce the follicular atresia and apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells in rat. Therfore, we studied whether GnRH gene is expressed in the mouse fetal ovary, when the germ cells are degenerating by apoptosis during gonad diffeerentiation. Mouse fetal gonads were obtained on the 12, 15,18 and 20th day of gestation from the mother mice superovulated (10 IU PMSG and 10 IU hCG) and mated. The morphological changes of fetal ovaries were examined histochemically by hematoxylin-eosin staining. The fetal sex was confirmed by PCR methods for sexing. RT-PCR methods were used to examine the expression of GnRH gene and the sex steroid hormones were determined by conventional radioimmunoassays. The levels of estradiol (E) and progesterone (P) were increaseduntil 18th day of gestation and then E was decreased just before parturition. The morphological changes of fetal gonadal tissue sections showed the ovarian development and coincided with the result of PCR analysis for sexing using ovary- or testis- specific oligonucleotide primers. Immunoreactive GnRH in placenta was decreased gradually until the end of gestation but fetal brain and ovarian GnRH were increased. The level of GnRH gene expression was increased during fetal ovarian development from 12 till 18th day and decreased suddenly on 20th day just before birth. From these results, it is suggested that ovarian GnRh may play a regulatory role on the germ cell differentiation of fetal ovary.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.154-159
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• 2007

Manchurian trout (Brachymystax lenok) is an endangered fish species in East Asia including the Korean peninsula. To establish a method for artificial propagation and to improve our understanding of the reproduction in the species, we have produced recombinant gonadotropins, follicle-stimulating hormone (r-mtFSH) and luteinizing hormone (r-mtLH), which may play central roles in reproductive activities. In the present study, the biological activities of the recombinant hormones were analyzed by gonadosomatic index (GSI), ovarian follicle diameter, and sex steroid levels in mature rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In the 6th day post-injection, FSH-injected fish were slightly decreased in the GSI value, although there were no significant differences among those of control, r-mtFSH, and r-mtLH treatments. Injection of the r-mtFSH increased follicle diameters significantly as compared with those of control- and r-mtLH-injected fish. The plasma steroid levels showed wide differences in the groups at 1, 3, or 6th day post-injection. Despite the variable steroid levels, three individuals receiving either r-mtFSH or r-mtLH showed a great increase in a maturation-inducing steroid, $17{\alpha},20{beta}$-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one, at 3 and 6 days. Taken together, these results suggest that biological efficacies of the recombinant FSH and LH should be further studied in the Manchurian trout.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.147-162
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• 2015

Objectives: The objective of this review was to summarize the primary role of three representative endocrine axes in aquatic vertebrates and discuss the effects on endocrine systems and their interactions in teleost fish after exposure to environmental contaminants. Methods: We summarized individual traits and mechanisms for hormonal and transcriptional interactions between the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonad (HPG), hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT), and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axes in fish. We also provided a brief discussion on the effects of nonylphenol-induced toxicity on endocrine systems and their interactions in fish as a demonstration of holistic explanation. Results: Currently-available data showed that thyroid dysfunction is associated with reproductive toxicity due to changes in steroidogenic gene expressions and sex hormone levels as well as gonad glands in fish. As an example, we demonstrated that exposure to nonylphenol could induce estrogenicity in male fish by decreasing thyroid hormones, which contributes to increased aromatase expression. Although the mechanisms are complicated and involved in multiple ways, a number of studies have shown that sex steroids influence the HPT axis or the HPA axis in fish, indicating bi-directional crosstalk. Critically missing is information on the primary target or toxicity mechanisms of environmental contaminants among the three endocrine axes, so further studies are needed to explore those possibilities. Conclusions: This review highlights the interactions between the HPG, HPT, and HPA axes in fish in order to better understand how these endocrine systems could interact with each other in situations of exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.147-154
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• 2014

Purpose: Gender differences in paediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are frequently reported as a secondary outcome and the results are divergent. To assess gender differences by analysing data collected within the Swiss IBD cohort study database since 2008, related to children with IBD, using the Montreal classification for a systematic approach. Methods: Data on gender, age, anthropometrics, disease location at diagnosis, disease behaviour, and therapy of 196 patients, 105 with Crohn's disease (CD) and 91 with ulcerative or indeterminate colitis (UC/IC) were retrieved and analysed. Results: The crude gender ratio (male : female) of patients with CD diagnosed at <10 years of age was 2.57, the adjusted ratio was 2.42, and in patients with UC/IC it was 0.68 and 0.64 respectively. The non-adjusted gender ratio of patients diagnosed at ${\geq}10$ years was 1.58 for CD and 0.88 for UC/IC. Boys with UC/IC diagnosed <10 years of age had a longer diagnostic delay, and in girls diagnosed with UC/IC >10 years a more important use of azathioprine was observed. No other gender difference was found after analysis of age, disease location and behaviour at diagnosis, duration of disease, familial occurrence of IBD, prevalence of extra-intestinal manifestations, complications, and requirement for surgery. Conclusion: CD in children <10 years affects predominantly boys with a sex ratio of 2.57; the impact of sex-hormones on the development of CD in pre-pubertal male patients should be investigated.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.391-397
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• 2006

This study correlated changes in estradiol-l7$\beta$ ($E_2$), testosterone (T), 17$\alpha$,20-dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP), and vitellogenin (VTG) levels with changes in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and ovarian histology during the annual reproductive cycle of the wild marbled sole, Limanda yokohamae. Synchronous oocyte development occurs in this fish. Ovary maturity was classified into four periods, based on histological observations: the spawning (December to February), post-spawning (February to April), recovery (May to August), and vitellogenic (September to November) periods. Seasonal changes in the GSI were inversely correlated with water temperatures and reflected the degree of ovarian maturity. Plasma VTG levels were correlated with changes in the GSI, which increased from September to a peak in January, and levels remained comparatively high until February. Estradiol-17$\beta$ was at baseline levels (<0.11 ng/mL) during the spring and summer, and peaked rapidly (1.55$\pm$0.445 ng/mL) from October to January. Plasma T and DHP levels had a similar profile; they rose markedly during the spawning period and remained low (or were not detectable) from spring through autumn. These data indicate that changes in plsama steroid hormones and VTG levels are correlated with the annual ovarian activity of the marbled sole. Based on these results and published reports, it appears that in this species DHP is the most important maturation-inducing steroid and that T is also related to final maturation.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.81-88
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• 2016

In many fish species, including Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), gonadal development occurs at the expense of stored energy and nutrients. Therefore, reproductive systems are inhibited by limited food supply. It has been well established that reproductive function is highly sensitive to both metabolic status and energy balance. Nothing is known about the possible mediated connection between energy balance and reproduction. Kisspeptin, a neuropeptide product of the Kiss gene has emerged as an essential gatekeeper of reproduction and may be possibly be linked to energy balance and reproduction in non-mammalians. Thus, in this study, the effect of fasting (10 days) on the expression of kisspeptin and the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) gene were assessed in Nile tilapia (male and female) using qRT-PCR. In addition, plasma levels of estradiol-$17{\beta}$ ($E_2$) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) in adult tilapia were measured by ELISA. In male tilapia, fasting reduced Kiss2 and GnRH I mRNA expression in the brain and 11-KT level in comparison with the fed tilapia (p < 0.05). In females, however, there were no significant differences in GnRH I mRNA expression and $E_2$ between fish subjected to fasting and those fed (p > 0.05). These data indicate the impact of nutritional states on kisspeptin as a potential regulatory mechanism for the control of reproduction in male Nile tilapia.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.38-42
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• 2009

We conducted two studies to determine the effect of gender, gonadectomy (GDX) on growth and plasma cholesterol levels in pigs. In experiment 1, five sham-operated and five GDX female Landrace pigs (26kg) were allowed to have free access to water and feed up to market weight (approximately 100kg). Body weight and feed consumption were recorded biweekly, and daily body weight gain, daily feed intake and feed efficiency (gain/feed) were calculated during the feeding period. In experiment 2, 10 male (26kg) and 10 female (26kg) Landrace pigs were used; five male and five female pigs were assigned to sham-operated or GDX. Pigs were allowed to have free access to water and a diet without added cholesterol (Table 1) until they were 6 months old (male 104 and female 98kg) and thereafter they were fed a hypercholesterolemic diet (Table 1) containing 0.5% cholesterol and 0.1% cholate for 10 days. GDX of female pigs increased average daily gain (P<0.05), compared with their sham-operated counterparts during the growing-finishing period, but had no effect (P>0.05) on feed efficiency. Plasma cholesterol levels in pigs fed a hypercholesterolemic diet for 10 days were much higher (P<0.05) in females than in males (161 vs 104mg/100mL plasma), and were increased by GDX only in male pigs. HDL-cholesterol/LDL+VLDL-cholesterol ratio appeared to be higher in males than in females, and was not influenced by GDX in either sex. Results suggested that the lower growth rate of female pigs than their male counterparts is attributable to the ovarian activity, and the lower plasma cholesterol level in male than in female pigs fed a hypercholesterolemic diet is due to the testicular activity.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.135-142
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• 2019

Background: Panax ginseng Meyer, known as Korean Red Ginseng (KRG), is one of the important age-old traditional herbs used in boosting libido and improving male fertility. In this study, the effects of Rg3-enriched KRG extract (KGC04P) on heat stress-induced testicular damage in experimental rats was evaluated. Methods: Male rats (Sprague-Dawley) were divided into four groups (n = 10): normal control (NC), heat-stressed control (HC), heat-stressed plus KGC04P-100 mg/kg (HK100), and heat-stressed plus KGC04P-200 mg/kg (HK200) groups. Starting 1 week prior to heat stress, animals were administered orally with KGC04P (100 and 200 mg/kg) mixed with a regular pellet diet and continued for 25 weeks. Heat stress was induced to HC, HK100, and HK200 groups by intermittently exposing the animals to high temperatures ($32{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, 2 h/day). After 6 months, animals were euthanized under general anesthesia with carbon dioxide and evaluated for various parameters in serum and testicular tissue by using Western blotting, biochemical kits, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Results: Significant (p < 0.05) alterations in several parameters, such as body/organ weight, sperm kinematics, and lipid metabolism marker levels, in the serum and testis of rats were observed. Further, the expression of testicular antioxidant enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, sex hormonal receptors, and spermatogenesis-related genes were also affected significantly (p < 0.05) in the heat-stressed group. However, KGC04P prevented the heat stress-induced changes in rats significantly (p < 0.05) at both concentrations. Conclusion: KGC04P attenuated heat stress-induced testicular damage by a multifunctional approach and can be developed as an excellent therapeutic agent for hyperthermia-mediated male infertility.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1666-1674
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• 2022

Objective: Letrozole, a potent aromatase inhibitor, is known to have the potential to modify male reproductive function by altering sex hormone levels. This study aimed to evaluate the semen and testicular characteristics and hormonal profile of aged Mrakhoz bucks (Capra hircus) treated with letrozole. Methods: Twelve Markhoz male goats, aged between 4.5 to 5.5 years with an average body weight (BW) of 61.05±4.97 kg were used for the study. Animals were randomly divided into two equal groups and subcutaneously received either 0.25 mg/kg BW of letrozole or a control every week for 2 months. The semen collections were performed every 10 days, and blood samples and testicular biometric records were collected at 20 days intervals. Results: Letrozole causes increased testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, testosterone to estradiol ratio, semen index and reaction time during the period from 20th to 60th days (p<0.05). Furthermore, letrozole-treated bucks had higher semen volume, sperm concentration, and total sperm per ejaculate from 30th to 60th days (p<0.05). However, no differences occurred between the groups in scrotal circumference, relative testicular volume, semen pH, abnormality, acrosome integrity, and membrane integrity of sperm during the study (p>0.05). The serum luteinizing hormone levels, sperm viability, motility, and progressive motility increased, and estradiol levels decreased after 40th to 60th days of letrozole treatment (p<0.05). Conclusion: Letrozole application to aged Markhoz bucks provokes reproductive hormonal axis which, in turn, induces enhancement of semen production and quality.