van der Poll T, Romijn J A, Endert E, Sauerwein H P
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Metabolism. 1993 Mar;42(3):303-7. doi: 10.1016/0026-0495(93)90078-3.
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been implicated as a mediator of many diseases associated with alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) function. To assess the effects of TNF on the HPT axis, we performed a saline-controlled cross-over study in six healthy men, sequentially measuring serum concentrations of gonadotropins, testosterone, and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) after a bolus intravenous injection of recombinant human TNF (50 micrograms/m2). TNF induced an early and transient increase in serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels from 6.0 +/- 1.0 to a maximum of 8.0 +/- 1.0 U/L after 30 minutes (P < .005), whereas the concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) remained unchanged. The increase in LH concentrations was followed by a transient decrease in serum testosterone levels from 18.2 +/- 0.3 to 9.1 +/- 1.2 nmol/L after 4 hours (P < .0001). Remarkably, LH levels had returned to control values when the testosterone level reached its nadir. SHBG levels were not affected by TNF. Our results suggest that TNF affects the HPT axis at multiple levels and may be involved either directly or indirectly in the decrease in circulating testosterone concentrations in systemic illnesses.
肿瘤坏死因子（TNF）被认为是许多与下丘脑 - 垂体 - 睾丸（HPT）功能改变相关疾病的介质。为了评估TNF对HPT轴的影响，我们在6名健康男性中进行了一项生理盐水对照的交叉研究，在静脉推注重组人TNF（50微克/平方米）后，依次测量促性腺激素、睾酮和性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）的血清浓度。TNF导致血清黄体生成素（LH）水平在30分钟后从6.0±1.0早期短暂升高至最高8.0±1.0 U/L（P <.005），而促卵泡激素（FSH）浓度保持不变。LH浓度升高后，血清睾酮水平在4小时后从18.2±0.3短暂降至9.1±1.2 nmol/L（P <.0001）。值得注意的是，当睾酮水平达到最低点时，LH水平已恢复到对照值。SHBG水平不受TNF影响。我们的结果表明，TNF在多个水平上影响HPT轴，可能直接或间接参与全身性疾病中循环睾酮浓度的降低。
