TY - JOUR

T1 - Familial Longevity Is Not Associated with Major Differences in the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Gonadal Axis in Healthy Middle-Aged Men

AU - van der Spoel, Evie

AU - Roelfsema, Ferdinand

AU - Jansen, Steffy W.

AU - Akintola, Abimbola A.

AU - Ballieux, Bart E.

AU - Cobbaert, Christa M.

AU - Blauw, Gerard J.

AU - Slagboom, P. Eline

AU - Westendorp, Rudi G. J.

AU - Piji, Hanno

AU - van Heemst, Diana

PY - 2016/11/9

Y1 - 2016/11/9

N2 - Context: A trade-off between fertility and longevity possibly exists. The association of the male hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis with familial longevity has not yet been investigated.Objective: To study 24-h hormone concentration profiles of the HPG axis in men enriched for familial longevity and controls.Design: We frequently sampled blood over 24 h in 10 healthy middle-aged male offspring of nonagenarian participants from the Leiden Longevity Study together with 10 male age-matched controls. Individual 24-h luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone concentration profiles were analyzed by deconvolution analyses to estimate secretion parameters. Furthermore, the temporal relationship between LH and testosterone was assessed by cross-correlation analysis. We used (cross-)approximate entropy to quantify the strength of feedback and/or feedforward control of LH and testosterone secretion.Results: Mean [95% confidence interval (CI)] total LH secretion of the offspring was 212 (156–268) U/L/24 h, which did not differ significantly (p = 0.51) from the total LH secretion of controls [186 (130–242) U/L/24 h]. Likewise, mean (95% CI) total testosterone secretion of the offspring [806 (671–941) nmol/L/24 h] and controls [811 (676–947) nmol/L/24 h] were similar (p = 0.95). Other parameters of LH and testosterone secretion were also not significantly different between offspring and controls. The temporal relationship between LH and testosterone and the strength of feedforward/feedback regulation within the HPG axis were similar between offspring of long-lived families and controls.Conclusion: This relatively small study suggests that in healthy male middle-aged participants, familial longevity is not associated with major differences in the HPG axis. Selection on both fertility and health may in part explain the results.

AB - Context: A trade-off between fertility and longevity possibly exists. The association of the male hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis with familial longevity has not yet been investigated.Objective: To study 24-h hormone concentration profiles of the HPG axis in men enriched for familial longevity and controls.Design: We frequently sampled blood over 24 h in 10 healthy middle-aged male offspring of nonagenarian participants from the Leiden Longevity Study together with 10 male age-matched controls. Individual 24-h luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone concentration profiles were analyzed by deconvolution analyses to estimate secretion parameters. Furthermore, the temporal relationship between LH and testosterone was assessed by cross-correlation analysis. We used (cross-)approximate entropy to quantify the strength of feedback and/or feedforward control of LH and testosterone secretion.Results: Mean [95% confidence interval (CI)] total LH secretion of the offspring was 212 (156–268) U/L/24 h, which did not differ significantly (p = 0.51) from the total LH secretion of controls [186 (130–242) U/L/24 h]. Likewise, mean (95% CI) total testosterone secretion of the offspring [806 (671–941) nmol/L/24 h] and controls [811 (676–947) nmol/L/24 h] were similar (p = 0.95). Other parameters of LH and testosterone secretion were also not significantly different between offspring and controls. The temporal relationship between LH and testosterone and the strength of feedforward/feedback regulation within the HPG axis were similar between offspring of long-lived families and controls.Conclusion: This relatively small study suggests that in healthy male middle-aged participants, familial longevity is not associated with major differences in the HPG axis. Selection on both fertility and health may in part explain the results.

KW - luteinizing hormone

KW - testosterone

KW - hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis

KW - familial longevity

KW - hormone secretion

KW - approximate entropy

KW - temporal correlation

U2 - 10.3389/fendo.2016.00143

DO - 10.3389/fendo.2016.00143

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 27881971

VL - 7

SP - 1

EP - 7

JO - Frontiers in Endocrinology

JF - Frontiers in Endocrinology

SN - 1664-2392

M1 - 143

ER -