Age-related changes in the suppression of serum luteinizing hormone by estradiol-17beta in developing steers

Serum luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations were measured at 4, 6, 8 and 10 mo of age in estradiol-17beta (E(2))-treated (n = 4) and contemporary control steers (n = 4). Serum LH was measured in samples collected at 30-min intervals starting at 0600 h for 12 h and for an additional 6 h following luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) injection. Estradiol-17beta suppressed mean serum LH concentrations at all ages (P<0.01), but it suppressed pulsatile release of LH only at 4 and 6 mo (P<0.01), not 8 and 10 mo of age. Luteinizing hormone release in response to LHRH, expressed as the area under the secretory curve, was larger and LH concentrations returned to pre-LHRH levels later in E(2)-treated steers (P<0.01). Peak LH concentrations after LHRH varied with age (P<0.05) but not E(2) treatment. These results suggest that E(2) suppression of LH in steers occurs at the hypothalamic level and developmental changes take place within the hypothalamicpituitary axis in absence of androgen feedback from the testis.