Plasma concentrations of ovarian steroids in the freshwater European silver eel (Anguilla anguilla L.): effects of hypophysectomy and transfer to sea water

Abstract

ABSTRACT Intact and hypophysectomized freshwater (FW) silver eels were transferred to tanks of FW or artificial sea water (SW; salinity = 0·60 osmol/l) which were simultaneously renewed twice a week. Fish were killed 2 months after transfer and plasma was assayed for ovarian steroids. In all fish, 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol was present, while 5α-dihydrotestosterone and 5α-androstane-3α,17β-diol were undetectable. In intact FW eels, plasma levels of testosterone, 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol and oestradiol-17β were approximately 0·15 nmol/l. In intact SW eels, no change in plasma levels of testosterone and 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol was found, whereas the concentration of oestradiol-17β was increased significantly (P<0·01), indicating stimulation of aromatase activity. In hypophysectomized compared with intact FW fish, plasma levels of testosterone and 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol were decreased (P<0·05) and there was a slight but significant (P<0·01) augmentation of the plasma concentration of oestradiol-17β which may have involved the removal of pituitary-dependent inhibition of aromatase activity, possibly by 5α-reduced compounds. In hypophysectomized compared with intact SW fish, plasma levels of testosterone, 5α-androstane-3β,17β-diol and oestradiol-17β were decreased (P<0·05); in the case of oestradiol-17β, this may have reflected the diminished ovarian synthesis of testosterone, its precursor. The plasma level of oestradiol-17β was, however, higher in SW than in FW fish, even in hypophysectomized eels. This suggests that extra-pituitary mechanisms mediate, at least partly, the effects of transfer to SW on aromatase activity. J. Endocr. (1987) 114, 289–294