Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, USA.
Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, 1094 Budapest, Hungary.
Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jun 13;25(12):6531. doi: 10.3390/ijms25126531.
The physiology of reproduction has been of interest to researchers for centuries. The purpose of this work is to review the development of our knowledge on the neuroendocrine background of the regulation of ovulation. We first describe the development of the pituitary gland, the structure of the median eminence (ME), the connection between the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland, the ovarian and pituitary hormones involved in ovulation, and the pituitary cell composition. We recall the pioneer physiological and morphological investigations that drove development forward. The description of the supraoptic-paraventricular magnocellular and tuberoinfundibular parvocellular systems and recognizing the role of the hypophysiotropic area were major milestones in understanding the anatomical and physiological basis of reproduction. The discovery of releasing and inhibiting hormones, the significance of pulse and surge generators, the pulsatile secretion of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and the subsequent pulsatility of luteinizing (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormones (FSH) in the human reproductive physiology were truly transformative. The roles of three critical neuropeptides, kisspeptin (KP), neurokinin B (NKB), and dynorphin (Dy), were also identified. This review also touches on the endocrine background of human infertility and assisted fertilization.
生殖生理学一直是研究人员几个世纪以来感兴趣的课题。本工作旨在综述我们对排卵调节的神经内分泌背景的认识的发展。我们首先描述了垂体的发育、正中隆起（ME）的结构、下丘脑与垂体之间的连接、参与排卵的卵巢和垂体激素以及垂体细胞组成。我们回顾了推动这一领域发展的先驱性的生理学和形态学研究。超神经垂体大细胞和神经垂体小细胞系统的描述以及认识到下丘脑促垂体区的作用是理解生殖解剖学和生理学基础的重要里程碑。释放和抑制激素的发现、脉冲发生器和涌动发生器的意义、促性腺激素释放激素（GnRH）的脉冲分泌以及随后黄体生成素（LH）和卵泡刺激素（FSH）在人类生殖生理学中的脉冲性是真正具有变革性的。三种关键神经肽—— kisspeptin（KP）、神经激肽 B（NKB）和强啡肽（Dy）的作用也得到了确定。这篇综述还涉及到人类不育和辅助受精的内分泌背景。
