Alterations in gonadotropin secretion and ovarian function in prepubertal gilts by elevated environmental temperature

Abstract

The effect of chronic exposure to elevated environmental temperature on gonadotropin secretion and ovarian function was studied in prepubertal gilts. Gilts were maintained under control (15.6°C) or elevated temperature (33.3°C) conditions from 150 to 180 days of age. Endocrine and ovarian responses to bilateral (BLO), unilateral (ULO), and sham ovariectomy was evaluated between 175 and 180 days of age. During the 96-h sampling period after BLO, plasma concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were suppressed in heat-stressed females. Similarly, elevated temperatures abolished the transient rise in FSH and subsequent follicular growth normally associated with ULO. In contrast, environmental treatment had no effect on the secretion of FSH and LH after sham ovariectomy, yet the number of small follicles was lower in gilts exposed to elevated temperatures than in females maintained under control conditions. These results indicate that a chronic exposure to elevated environmental temperature during pubertal development diminished the ability of the hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis to secrete FSH and LH, which had physiological consequences on follicular growth. When provided an appropriate stimulus (ULO), an acute period of FSH secretion and subsequent development of follicles failed to occur in females exposed to elevated temperatures. Consequently, we propose that delayed puberty in gilts during periods of elevated environmental temperatures is due, in part, to a diminished capacity for gonadotropin secretion.