The non-steroidal mycoestrogen zeranol suppresses luteinizing hormone secretion from the anterior pituitary of cattle via the estradiol receptor GPR30 in a rapid, non-genomic manner

Picomolar concentrations of estradiol produce rapid suppression of GnRH-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion from the anterior pituitary (AP) of cattle via G-protein-coupled receptor 30 (GPR30). Zeranol is a strong estrogenic metabolite derived from zearalenone, a non-steroidal mycoestrogen produced by Fusarium that induces reproductive disorders in domestic animals. The hypothesis was tested that zeranol suppresses GnRH-induced LH release from the AP of cattle via GPR30 in a rapid, non-genomic manner. The AP cells (n = 15) were cultured for 3 days in steroid-free conditions and then treated them with estradiol (0.001–10 nM) or zeranol (0.001–100 nM) for 5 min before GnRH stimulation. Pre-treatment with 0.001–0.1 nM estradiol suppressed GnRH-stimulated LH secretion. Pre-treatment with zeranol at concentrations of 0.001 nM (P < 0.01), 0.01 nM (P < 0.01), 0.1 nM (P < 0.05), and 1 nM (P < 0.05), but not at concentrations of 10 and 100 nM, also inhibited GnRH-stimulated LH secretion from AP cells. Pre-treatment for 5 min with a GPR30-specific antagonist, G36, inhibited estradiol or zeranol suppression of LH secretion from cultured AP cells. Cyclic AMP measurements and quantitative PCR analyses revealed that pre-treatment with small amounts of estradiol (P < 0.05) or zeranol (P < 0.01) decreased cAMP, but not gene expressions of the LHα, LHβ, or FSHβ subunits in the AP cells. Hence, zeranol may suppress luteinizing hormone secretion from the AP of cattle via GPR30 in a rapid, non-genomic manner.