Role of Nesfatin-1 in the Reproductive Axis of Male Rat

Nesfatin-1 is an important molecule in the regulation of reproduction. However, its role in the reproductive axis in male animals remains to be understood. Here, we found that nesfatin-1 was mainly distributed in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), periventricular nucleus (PeN), and lateral hypothalamic area (LHA) of the hypothalamus; adenohypophysis and Leydig cells in male rats. Moreover, the concentrations of serum nesfatin-1 and its mRNA in hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis (HPGA) vary with the age of the male rat. After intracerebroventricular injection of nesfatin-1, the hypothalamic genes for gonadotrophin releasing hormone ( GnRH ), kisspeptin ( Kiss-1 ), pituitary genes for follicle-stimulate hormone β( FSHβ ), luteinizing hormone β( LHβ ), and genes for testicular steroidogenic acute regulatory ( StAR ) expression levels were decreased significantly. Nesfatin-1 significantly increased the expression of genes for 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase ( 3β-HSD ), 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase ( 17β-HSD ), and cytochrome P450 cleavage ( P450scc ) in the testis of pubertal rats, but their levels decreased in adult rats ( P < 0.05), along with the serum FSH, LH, and testosterone (T) concentrations. After nesfatin-1 addition in vitro , T concentrations of the supernatant were significantly higher than that in the control group. These results were suggestive of the role of nesfatin-1 in the regulation of the reproductive axis in male rats.