Blackman M R, Tsitouras P D, Harman S M
J Gerontol. 1987 Sep;42(5):476-81. doi: 10.1093/geronj/42.5.476.
In a previous study, we described unaltered basal serum levels of sex steroids, increased basal luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and diminished and/or delayed gonadotropin responses to exogenous luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) in 69 healthy men, aged 25 to 89 years, in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Here we report basal and LHRH-stimulated serum concentrations of the common alpha-subunit of the glycoprotein hormones in 53 of these same men, divided into groups: A, 25 to 49 years, (n = 22); B, 50 to 69 years, (n = 18); and C, 70 to 89 years, (n = 13). There were no significant (p greater than .2) age-related alterations in basal serum concentrations of the alpha-subunit. Using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), we found a significant difference between basal levels and peak responses to LHRH for alpha-subunit in each group (p less than .001); however, age per se did not influence the magnitude of this response (p greater than .1). Frequency distribution analysis of the time of the peak alpha-subunit response across age groups demonstrated a significant age-related delay in the timing of the peak alpha response (p less than .03). These data, in conjunction with our prior observations, suggest that in healthy men there may be age-related alterations in the secretion and/or metabolic clearance of pituitary gonadotropins and their component subunits.
在之前的一项研究中，我们描述了巴尔的摩纵向衰老研究中69名年龄在25至89岁之间的健康男性的情况，其性类固醇基础血清水平未改变，促黄体生成素（LH）和促卵泡激素（FSH）基础水平升高，且促性腺激素对外源性促黄体生成素释放激素（LHRH）的反应减弱和/或延迟。在此，我们报告了这些男性中53人的糖蛋白激素共同α亚基的基础和LHRH刺激后的血清浓度，这些人被分为三组：A组，25至49岁，（n = 22）；B组，50至69岁，（n = 18）；C组，70至89岁，（n = 13）。α亚基的基础血清浓度没有显著的（p大于0.2）与年龄相关的改变。使用重复测量方差分析（ANOVA），我们发现每组中α亚基的基础水平与对LHRH的峰值反应之间存在显著差异（p小于0.001）；然而，年龄本身并不影响这种反应的幅度（p大于0.1）。对各年龄组α亚基峰值反应时间的频率分布分析表明，α亚基峰值反应时间存在显著的与年龄相关的延迟（p小于0.03）。这些数据，结合我们之前的观察结果，表明在健康男性中，垂体促性腺激素及其组成亚基的分泌和/或代谢清除可能存在与年龄相关的改变。
