Gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) measurements in pituitary portal blood: a history

Moenter, S. M. and Evans, N. P. (2022) Gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) measurements in pituitary portal blood: a history. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 34(5), e13065. (doi: 10.1111/jne.13065) (PMID:34918405) (PMCID:PMC9200367)

Abstract

Much about the neuroendocrine control of reproduction is inferred from changes in the episodic release of luteinizing hormone (LH), as measured in samples of peripheral blood. This, however, assumes that LH precisely mirrors gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release from the hypothalamus. As GnRH is not measurable in peripheral blood, characterization of the relationship between these two hormones required the simultaneous measurement of GnRH and LH in pituitary portal and peripheral blood, respectively. Here, we review the history of why and how portal blood collection was developed, the aspects of the true output of the central component of the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis that this methodology helped clarify, and conditions under which the pituitary fails to serve as an adequate bioassay for the release pattern of GnRH.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The authors acknowledge funding from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development grants R37HD034860, R01HD041469 and R01HD104345 to SMM.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Evans, Professor Neil
• Authors: Moenter, S. M., and Evans, N. P.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
• Journal Name: Journal of Neuroendocrinology
• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 0953-8194
• ISSN (Online): 1365-2826
• Published Online: 25 November 2021
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2021 British Society for Neuroendocrinology
• First Published: First published in Journal of Neuroendocrinology 34(5): e13065
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy