Scott R S, Burger H G
Nature. 1980 May 22;285(5762):246-7. doi: 10.1038/285246a0.
There is ample evidence that the secretion of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) by the pituitary gland is regulated by a nonsteroidal hormone of gonadal origin, termed inhibin. In several species, testicular extracts, gonadal lymph and seminal plasma have been shown to contain proteins which inhibit FSH release; lack of suitable assays for inhibin has, however, prevented clear definition of its physiological significance. Men whose tests show the histological changes of germinal cell failure usually have raised FSH levels in the blood, but may have normal levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone. Such patients would thus be predicted to show reduced inhibin production. To test this, we have measured the FSH inhibitory activity of seminal plasma from azoospermic subjects with raised plasma FSH levels. We report here our confirmation of diminished inhibin levels in seminal plasma of these patients, thus providing convincing support for its physiological role as a modulator of FSH production in man.
有充分证据表明，垂体分泌的促卵泡激素（FSH）受一种性腺来源的非甾体激素——抑制素调节。在多个物种中，睾丸提取物、性腺淋巴液和精浆已被证明含有抑制FSH释放的蛋白质；然而，由于缺乏合适的抑制素检测方法，其生理意义尚未明确界定。睾丸出现生精细胞功能衰竭组织学变化的男性，血液中FSH水平通常会升高，但促黄体生成素（LH）和睾酮水平可能正常。因此，预计这类患者的抑制素分泌会减少。为验证这一点，我们检测了血浆FSH水平升高的无精子症患者精浆的FSH抑制活性。我们在此报告，已证实这些患者精浆中的抑制素水平降低，从而为其作为人类FSH分泌调节因子的生理作用提供了有力支持。
