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Follicular fluid (FF) levels of immuno reactive ß-Endorphin (i.r. ß-EP), i.r. γ-Endorphin (i.r. γ-EP), i.r. α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (i.r. α-MSH), androgens and estrogens were measured in 76 preovulatory follicles obtained, after gonadotropin stimulation from 19 women undergoing in vitrofertilization (IVF). The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships existing between peptide contents of FF and both oocyte-cumulus-corona-complex (OCCC) maturity and the success of IVF. Peptides and steroids were measured by RIA after FF extraction with liquid chromatography and ethyl-ether, respectively. Out of the total of 76 oocytes, 52 were fertilized in vitro and35 of them underwent normal cleavage and were transferred. Among the three peptides, only i.r. ß-EP levels were higher in FF from follicles which contained oocytes that were subsequently fertilized (127.6 ± 16.2 pmol/L mean ± SE) than in FF from follicles which contained oocytes that did not subsequently fertilized (62.9 ± 8.4, p< 0.04). Independent of subsequent fertilization, i.r. α-MSH values in FF were 5 times higher than those of i.r. ß-EP and i.r. γ-EP. In the presence of a morphologically mature oocyte, FF i.r. γ-EP levels (165.2 ± 45.3 pmol/L) were higher than in FF from follicles yielding immature (63.6 ± 13.5, p< 0.01) or luteinized (32.7 ± 9.2, p< 0.01) oocytes. Steroid levels in FF did not change in relation to oocyte maturity or subsequent oocyte fertilization. This study demonstrates that in women submitted to gonadotropin stimulation within an IVF program, follicular fluid i.r. ß-EP levels are positively associated with the yield of a fertilizable oocyte. Whether this finding has a physiological significance or not, as well as its determinants, remains to be investigated.

β-lipotropin (β-LPH) and β-endorphin (β-EP) plasma levels were characterized by a significant decrease in postmenopausal females (22 subjects aged from 56 to 70 yr) when compared to fertile women (22 subjects from 31 to 45 yr). On the contrary, ACTH plasma levels determined in 10 of the premenopausal and 13 of the postmenopausal subjects reported above showed constant levels in both groups. A significant increase in the β-LPH/β-EP molar ratio was observed in postmenopausal females. The plasma β-LPH and β-EP levels, studied before and 6 months after ovariectomy, showed a significant decrease in 8 out of 10 patients, while they remained constant in the other 2. Two subjects, in whom postsurgical samples were taken during a flushing episode, showed β-LPH and β-EP plasma levels which were both higher than the corresponding preovariectomy values. The results suggest that these changes may be important in explaining modifications in behavior and mood frequently found in postmenopausal females and in patients undergoing surgical castration in the fertile age.

ACTH, βlipotropin (βLPH), βendorphin (βEP), Prolactin (PRL) and Cortisol were measured in the first five days of Puerperium at 9:00, before and 30 minutes after suckling, in 7 healthy lactating women. With the exception of PRL plasma levels which decline, although remaining at high concentrations during the observation period, all the other parameters showed a sudden fall from the high levels found at delivery, reaching stable normal levels (βLPH, βEP, Cortisol) or concentrations which were 50% lower than normal (ACTH), from the second day of Puerperium. Suckling confirms its capacity to release plasma PRL, while all the other indices remain unmodified. Despite the experimental evidence that serotoninergic neurons are involved both in the PRL response to suckling and the circadian rhythmicity and stress response of proopiocortin-related peptides, the present results suggest that breast feeding is not a stressful situation, as no typical proopiocortin-related peptide response is evident, and that the activation of PRL release is related to stimulation of serotoninergic neurons which differ from those involved in the control of proopiocortin-related peptide secretion.

Plasma levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA), dehydroepiandrosterone-sulphate (DHA-S), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17P), androstenedione (A), testosterone (T), dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and estradiol (E2) were measured in basal conditions in eleven young women from 16 to 25 years of age characterized by delayed puberty. The gonadotropin response to LHRH (50μ iv) was also tested in these cases. The results, as far as gonadotropins and E2are concerned, indicate that delayed puberty in girls is a heterogeneous disorder: an impairment in the negative feedback between E2and FSH coexists with a reduced ovarian response to endogenous gonadotropins. All cases showed evidence of a more or less pronounced delayed adrenarche, which was demonstrated by the markedly reduced levels of DHA-S and DHA (with the exception of this latter steroid in two cases with idiopathic hirsutism). Furthermore, the very low plasma progesterone (P) levels in all cases suggest the existence of impaired Δ5— Δ4isomerase activity in the adrenal cells. Despite the low levels of A and T, DHT is within the upper limits of the normal range in all cases.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity of opiate receptors involved in the regulation of LH secretion in relationship to ovariectomy. Menstruating fertile (n = 5) and climateric (n = 7) patients and postmenopausal (n = 5) women who underwent therapeutical bilateral ovariectomy were studied in the first week postsurgery and LH plasma levels were evaluated after naloxone (4 mg in bolus plus 4 mg infusion/90 min), LHRH (10 μg + 10 μg iv) and saline administration. Two groups of fertile (n = 6) and postmenopausal (n = 6) subjects were studied as controls. Since the LH responsiveness to naloxone was impaired in climateric patients after ovariectomy, the test was repeated in 5 of them after 1 and 6 months of estrogen — gestagen treatment (conjugated estradiol + noretisterone acetate), showing a significant increase in all patients in both cases. In four subjects treated with only gestagen, naloxone was still unable to significantly modify LH plasma levels. These results indicate that ovariectomy affects the activity of opiate receptors, resulting in the first week postsurgery LH rise inversely related to basal LH levels. Furthermore, these results indicate that one or six cycles of estrogen-gestagen treatment in ovariectomized patients similarly induces a restoration of the opiate receptors neuroendocrine activity.

In 40 girls aged from 2 to 14 years, subdivided into groups according to age and pubertal development, and in 6 adult female volunteers, plasma Cortisol (F), pregnenolone (δ5), de-hydroepiandrosterone (DHA), progesterone (P), 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17P), androstenedi-one (A), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) were measured before and after short dexamethasone (DXM) suppression. The results confirmed the capacity of DXM to inhibit plasma steroids in all age groups, except T in 2–9 year old and P1 Tanner’s stage girls. The percentage suppression of each given steroid was constant over the age groups from 6–9 years to P4–5 Tanner’s stage, while lower suppression was found in 17P, P and DHA in 2–5 year old girls and in 17P, DHA and E2in adult women. These results emphasize thefundamental role of ACTH as the overall stimulating factor of adrenal steroidogenesis but do not negate the possibility of another factor responsible for the development of the adrenal androgen secreting cells throughout prepuberty and puberty.