Dual effects of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone on testicular development in prepubertal Minxinan Black rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Lei Sang; Shikun Sun; Jinxiang Wang; Chengfang Gao; Dongjin Chen; Xiping Xie

doi:10.3389/fvets.2024.1320452

Dual effects of gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone on testicular development in prepubertal Minxinan Black rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Front Vet Sci. 2024 Jan 24:11:1320452. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1320452. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Lei Sang¹, Shikun Sun¹, Jinxiang Wang¹, Chengfang Gao¹, Dongjin Chen¹, Xiping Xie¹

Affiliation

¹ Fujian Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Fujian Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Fuzhou, China.

Abstract

Gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) is a neurohormone that not only suppresses reproduction at the brain level but also regulates steroidogenesis and gametogenesis at the gonad level. However, its function in gonadal physiology has received little attention in rabbits. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of GnIH on testicular development and function in prepubertal Minxinan Black rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). In the present study, we investigated the serum reproductive hormone concentration, testicular parameters, morphology of seminiferous tubules, apoptosis of testicular cells, and expression of reproductive-related genes in male prepubertal Minxinan Black rabbits intraperitoneally administered with 0, 0.5, 5, or 50 μg quail GnIH-related peptides (qGnIH) for 10 days. Compared with the vehicle, administration with 5 μg of qGnIH downregulated the serum testosterone concentration and mRNA levels of spermatogenic genes (PCNA, FSHR, INHβA, HSF1, and AR) and upregulated the apoptosis rate of testicular cells; administration with 50 μg of qGnIH decreased the serum testosterone concentration and hypothalamic GnIH gene mRNA level and increased the serum LH concentration, pituitary LHβ gene mRNA level, testicular weight, gonadosomatic index (GSI), and spermatogenic cell layer thickness. It is concluded that GnIH could exert dual actions on testicular development depending on the male prepubertal rabbits receiving different intraperitoneal doses.

Keywords: GnIH; Minxinan Black rabbit; dual action; spermatogenesis; testicular development.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was supported by the earmarked fund for the China Agriculture Research System (Grant number CARS-43-G-5), Natural Science Foundation of Fujian province (Grant number 2021J01486), and Fujian Public Welfare Project (Grant number 2021R10260014, 2022R1026003). The programs had no roles in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data, the writing of the report, or the decision to submit for publication.