Submit a comment
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 1987;80(3):631-638. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI113115.
Abstract
We investigated the effects of estradiol on bioactive luteinizing hormone (LH) release in normal men using two complementary strategies: (i) steady state intravenous infusions of estradiol at its endogenous production rate, and (ii) oral administration of the antiestrogen, tamoxifen HCl. Immunoreactive and biologically active LH were monitored by radioimmunoassay and the rat interstitial cell testosterone bioassay, respectively. Estradiol infusions significantly suppressed mean plasma bioactive LH concentrations and decreased the bio/immuno LH ratio. Conversely, antiestrogen treatment enhanced spontaneous bioactive LH pulse frequency, increased bioactive LH pulse amplitude, and augmented plasma intrapulse and interpulse bio/immuno LH ratios. Low-dose pulsed injections of exogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) also increased plasma bio/immuno LH ratios. However, tamoxifen attenuated the ability of exogenous GnRH to further enhance the bio/immuno LH ratio, which suggests that endogenous LH release was already maximally enriched in LH bioactivity during antiestrogen administration. We conclude that estradiol modulates the pulsatile secretion of LH molecules enriched in biological activity in man.
Authors
J D Veldhuis, M L Dufau
Guidelines
The Editorial Board will only consider comments that are deemed relevant and of interest to readers. The Journal will not post data that have not been subjected to peer review; or a comment that is essentially a reiteration of another comment.
- Comments appear on the Journal’s website and are linked from the original article’s web page.
- Authors are notified by email if their comments are posted.
- The Journal reserves the right to edit comments for length and clarity.
- No appeals will be considered.
- Comments are not indexed in PubMed.
Specific requirements
- Maximum length, 400 words
- Entered as plain text or HTML
- Author’s name and email address, to be posted with the comment
- Declaration of all potential conflicts of interest (even if these are not ultimately posted); see the Journal’s conflict-of-interest policy
- Comments may not include figures
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)