Short-term fasting attenuates the response of the HPG axis to kisspeptin challenge in the adult male rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

AimsIn primates, changes in nutritional status affect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis by still poorly understood mechanisms. Recently, hypothalamic kisspeptin-GPR54 signaling has emerged as a significant regulator of this neuroendocrine axis. The present study was designed to examine whether suppression of the reproductive function by acute food-restriction in a non-human primate is mediated by decreased responsiveness of the HPG axis to endogenous kisspeptin drive.Main methodsFive intact adult male rhesus monkeys habituated to chair-restraint, received intravenous boli of human kisspeptin-10 (KP10, 50 µg), hCG (50 IU), and vehicle (1 ml) in both fed and 48-h fasting conditions. Plasma concentrations of glucose, cortisol and testosterone (T) were measured by using enzymatic and specific RIAs, respectively.Key findingsThe acute 48-h fasting decreased plasma glucose (P < 0.01) and T (P < 0.005) levels, and increased cortisol levels (P < 0.05). KP10 administration caused a robust stimulation of T secretion in both fed and fasted monkeys. However, mean T concentration and T AUC after KP10 administration were significantly (P < 0.01–0.005) reduced in fasted monkeys. Likewise, the time of the first significant increase in post-KP10 T levels was also significantly (P < 0.01) delayed. T response to hCG stimulation was similar in fed and fasted monkeys.SignificanceThe present results indicate that under fasting conditions the KP10 induced T response is delayed and suppressed. These data support the notion that fasting-induced suppression of the HPG axis in the adult male rhesus monkey may involve, at least in part, a reduction in the sensitivity of the GnRH neuronal network to endogenous kisspeptin stimulation.