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Sex Steroids and Their Involvement in the Cortisol-Induced Inhibition of Pubertal Development in Male Common Carp, Cyprinus carpio L¹

^a Graduate School for Developmental Biology, Research Group for Comparative Endocrinology, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands ^b Fish Culture and Fisheries Group, Wageningen University, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands

The onset and regulation of puberty is determined by functional development of the brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis. Sex steroids produced in the gonads play an important role in the onset of puberty. Stress interferes with reproduction and the functioning of the BPG axis, and cortisol has frequently been indicated as a major factor mediating the suppressive effect of stress on reproduction. Prolonged elevated cortisol levels, implicated in stress adaptation, inhibited pubertal development in male common carp (Cyprinus carpio). Cortisol treatment caused a retardation of pubertal testis development and reduced the LH pituitary content and the salmon GnRHa-stimulated LH secretion in vitro. A reduced synthesis of androgens also was observed. These findings suggest that the cortisol-induced inhibition of testicular development and the maturation of pituitary gonadotrophs are mediated by an effect on testicular androgen secretion. In this study, we combined cortisol treatment with a replacement of the testicular steroid hormones (testosterone and 11-oxygenated androgens) to investigate the role of these steroids in the cortisol-induced suppression of pubertal development. The effect of cortisol on spermatogenesis was independent of 11-ketotestosterone, whereas the effect on the pituitary was an indirect one, involving the testicular secretion of testosterone.

First decision: 28 August 2001.

¹ This project was supported by grant 805-33.103P from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research.

² Correspondence: H.J.Th. Goos, Graduate School for Developmental Biology, Research Group for Comparative Endocrinology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands. FAX: 31 30 253 2837; h.j.th.goos{at}bio.uu.nl

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