The olfactory bulbs enhance reproductive hormone secretion in male rats on long or short photoperiod.

Abstract Unlike seasonally breeding species such as the Syrian hamster, Sprague-Dawley laboratory rats do not normally respond to short photoperiod (6L18D) with reproductive regression. However, removal of the olfactory bulbs (BX) unmasks a photoperiodic response in pre-pubertal rats so that blinding or short photoperiod results in an inhibition of reproductive hormone secretion and/or a delay in pubertal development. This is apparently mediated by pineal melatonin which inhibits gonadotropin and/or prolactin secretion, but the mechanism by which BX facilitates the response to photoperiod is not clear. Experiment I was performed to determine serum levels of reproductive hormones at frequent intervals following BX and/or maintenance on short days. Twenty-three-day old male rats were BX or underwent sham BX (SH). They were thereafter maintained on a 14L:10D (long photoperiod) or 6L:18D photoperiod for the duration of the study. At 6 weeks following surgery, BX rats on either photoperiod had smaller testes than the SH groups. At week 8, the BX group on 6L:18D had smaller testes than the other three groups. There were transient reductions in serum luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone in the BX rats on short photoperiod, but there were prolonged effects of BX decreasing prolactin levels in rats on long or short photoperiod. In SH rats, testosterone was elevated for weeks 6 through 10 of the study, and BX blocked this increase. Experiment II was performed to determine whether BX alters testosterone feedback on gonadotropin secretion. Twenty-three-day old male rats were BX or underwent SH operation and were then returned to a room on 14L10D. Six to 8 weeks later, all animals were castrated and placed on 6L18D or returned to 14L:10D. Eight weeks following castration, the rats were implanted with Silastic capsules containing 0, 10, 20 or 40mm testosterone. The post-castration increase in serum luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone was lower in the BX than SH rats. In long photoperiod, serum luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone were often lower in the BX rats receiving no testosterone replacement or lower doses of testosterone than in the SH group receiving similar capsules. Maintenance on short photoperiod increased the responsiveness to testosterone so that even the rats receiving low doses of testosterone had very low luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels whether they were SH or BX. In summary, BX rats on long or short photoperiod had lower serum prolactin and testosterone levels than the comparable SH group and BX inhibited the post-castration increase in gonadotropin secretion. The data therefore suggest that the olfactory bulbs tonically enhance reproductive hormone secretion (especially around the time of pubertal development).