Zebrafish: A Versatile Animal Model for Fertility Research
Table 1
The inhibitory effects of stress hormones (CRH, ACTH, and cortisol) on mammalian and zebrafish HPG axis.
Stress hormones
Inhibitory effects on HPG
References
Mammal
CRH
(i) Inhibitory action on GnRH and testosterone release from rat hypothalamus and male Rhesus macaque (ii) CRH suppresses LH secretion in females and has dose-dependent inhibition effect on androgen production from human ovarian thecal cells as well
(i) The dampening effect of ACTH on the responsiveness of the pituitary gland to GnRH and delayed estradiol-induced LH surge (ii) Direct actions of stress hormones on testosterone biosynthesis in Leydig cells
(i) Glucocorticoid inhibits the release of GnRH as well as LH and FSH via glucocorticoid-gonadotropin inhibitory hormone interaction in males (ii) Suppression of testosterone release from male rats under stress (iii) In females, cortisol acts on the HPG axis by inhibiting the release of GnRH, LH, and steroid hormones (estradiol and progesterone)
(i) Reduced estradiol synthesis from zebrafish ovarian follicles (ii) Causes DNA damage, reduced amount of autophagosomes, and vacuolization of zebrafish follicles (iii) Elevated ACTH and cortisol following estradiol treatment are most likely contributed to low fertilization success
