Melatonin influences gonadotropin II secretion in the Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus)

The role of melatonin in the control of gonadotropin II (GtH II) secretion was investigated in Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) during different phases of the day-night cycle and seasonal reproductive cycle. Intraperitoneal injection of melatonin during the late-light phase of the day-night cycle elicited a significant elevation in plasma GtH II levels in croaker with fully developed gonads. The increase in GtH II levels was observed 30 min postinjection; the levels remained elevated for 1 hr and started to decline at the 2-hr sampling time. The stimulatory effect of melatonin was dose-dependent over the range 5 to 500 ng/g body weight. Circulating GtH II levels in fish with fully developed gonads showed significant diurnal variation, with elevated levels during the dark phase. The GtH II secretion in response to stimulation by a LHRH analog (LHRHa) also varied during the day-night cycle, with the maximum levels during the early-dark phase. Interestingly, melatonin stimulated GtH II release during the late-light and early- and mid-dark phases. The increased gonadotropic response to melatonin preceded (late-light phase) or corresponded to the period of elevated circulating GtH II levels and increased responsiveness to stimulation by LHRHa during the dark phase, suggesting that melatonin may be involved in the control of daily GtH II cycles in this species. Melatonin inhibited LHRHa-induced GtH II release during the mid-dark phase of the day-night cycle in a dose-dependent manner; the physiological significance of this inhibitory influence is not understood at present. No significant effect of melatonin on basal or LHRHa-induced GtH II release was observed in regressed croaker. Melatonin injection (1 or 10 ng/g body weight) into the third ventricle in the preoptic anterior hypothalamic area (POAH) of croaker with fully developed gonads resulted in an elevation in plasma GtH II concentrations. In addition, a low concentration (0.2 ng/ml) of melatonin stimulated in vitro GtH II release from the pituitary fragments of fish with fully developed gonads. These results suggest that melatonin can influence GtH II secretion by acting at the level of POAH and also directly at the pituitary to stimulate GtH II release.