In vivo gonadotropic effects of recombinant Japanese eel follicle-stimulating hormone

Recombinant Japanese eel follicle-stimulating hormone (rjeFSH) produced by methylotrophic yeast was subjected to in vivo bioassay to assess its gonadotropic activities and availability to artificially induce maturation of this species. Intramuscular injections of rjeFSH into male eels at doses of 0.1 and 1.0 U/g body weight were repeated 3 times during 12 days. The rjeFSH significantly increased plasma 11-ketotestosterone levels, and induced both testicular growth and spermatogenesis in a dose-dependent manner. These results demonstrate that rjeFSH is effective in promoting male eel gamatogenesis in vivo. Instead of scarce native eel FSH, abundant recombinant eel FSH is now ready for future application to maturation induction of Japanese eel.