Endocrine Abstracts

KNDy neurons, which co-express kisspeptins, neurokinin B (NKB) and dynorphin (Dyn), play a key role in the tonic control of gonadotropin secretion by modulating the GnRH release. The assumed KNDy model proposes that NKB and Dyn (as stimulatory and inhibitory signals, respectively) auto-regulate the secretion of kisspeptins onto GnRH neurons. However, some aspects of this paradigm remain poorly defined. In this context, the aims of this work were to characterize i) the putative...

RF-amide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3), the mammalian orthologue of the avian gonadotropin-inhibiting hormone (GnIH), has been proposed as major inhibitory signal for the reproductive axis, acting via the NPFF1 receptor (NPFF1R). In addition, RFRP-3 has been recently suggested to modulate feeding, with reported orexigenic actions; a function that might contribute to the integrative control of energy homeostasis and reproduction. However, characterisation of the metabolic effects ...

While female fertility is known to be sensitive to conditions of low body fuel reserves, the reproductive consequences of persistent energy excess remain ill defined. Yet, the pandemic proportions of obesity, and its potential impact on the gonadotropic axis, call for a better understanding of this phenomenon. Alike, the influence of ovarian hormones on the pathophysiology of obesity and its complications merits further investigation. In this work, we aimed to elucidate the me...