Pulsatile bioactive luteinizing hormone secretion in men with chronic renal failure and following renal transplantation.

We have measured plasma luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (To) by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and bioactive LH (B-LH) by in vitro bioassay at 10-min intervals over 6 h in men treated by haemodialysis for renal failure and in men after renal transplantation. Eleven normal male volunteers acted as controls. Immunoreactive LH (I-LH) and FSH levels were elevated (p less than 0.03) in uraemia (mean +/- SE; 10.0 +/- 1.0 and 4.6 +/- 0.7 IU/l for LH and FSH, respectively) and following renal transplantation (8.1 +/- 1.2 and 5.3 +/- 0.5 IU/l) compared to controls (C) 4.9 +/- 0.5 and 2.7 +/- 0.4 IU/l) whereas B-LH [17.3 +/- 2.5, 14.8 +/- 1.8 and 12.9 +/- 1.3 IU/l in dialysis (D), transplant (T) and C groups, respectively] levels were normal. Prolactin levels were elevated (p less than 0.03) in the D group (median 348, range 162-1,780 mU/l) compared to the T group (161, 91-206 mU/l) and controls (163, 124-312 mU/l) whereas total To levels (mean +/- SE; 17.3 +/- 4.8, 15.5 +/- 1.3 and 19.6 +/- 2.1 nmol/l in the D, T and C groups, respectively) were similar as was the free To index. B-LH (median frequency, 2 and range 1-3 pulses/6 h) and I-LH (median frequency, 2 and range 1-2 pulses/6 h) was pulsatile in all the C group but B- and I-LH pulses were absent in 2 of the 5 subjects treated by dialysis. Following renal transplantation B-LH pulses were detected in all subjects, whilst I-LH pulses were absent in 1 subject.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)