Plasma Luteinizing Hormone Levels in Response to Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist and Clonidine in Trypanosoma congolense-Infected Female Goats

Trypanosomiasis, a parasitic disease of humans and animals, occurs over a wide area of Africa and imposes a large socioeconomic burden on the people. In the present study, we investigated whether trypanosomiasis-induced reproductive disorders were due to pituitary or hypothalamic dysfunction by dete...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Brain research bulletin 1997, Vol.44 (5), p.591-595
Main Authors: Ng’Wena, A.G.M, Patel, N.B, Wango, E.O
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activity Cycles
Animals
Clonidine - pharmacology
Female
Goats
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone - analogs & derivatives
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone - pharmacology
Humans
Hypothalamus
Luteinizing Hormone - blood
Luteinizing Hormone - metabolism
Reproduction
Trypanosoma congolense
Trypanosomiasis
Trypanosomiasis, African - blood
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Summary:Trypanosomiasis, a parasitic disease of humans and animals, occurs over a wide area of Africa and imposes a large socioeconomic burden on the people. In the present study, we investigated whether trypanosomiasis-induced reproductive disorders were due to pituitary or hypothalamic dysfunction by determining plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) response to gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist or clonidine in Trypanosoma congolense -infected female goats. With GnRH agonist administration, the total amount of LH secreted over a 140-min sampling period on day 23 and day 60 postinfection was consistently higher (71 and 21%, respectively) in infected goats compared to controls. In contrast, clonidine administration to infected goats on day 28 and day 69 postinfection failed to significantly alter the LH pulse frequency or the mean LH pulse amplitude over a 80-min sampling period. The results, especially the lack of response to clonidine, indicate that trypanosomiasis impairs GnRH release from the hypothalamus.
ISSN:0361-9230
1873-2747
DOI:10.1016/S0361-9230(97)00305-5