Summary
Serum concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone, testosterone (T) and melatonin were measured in seven physically active male volunteers after exercise on a treadmill using the Bruce protocol. Measurements were made on blood samples obtained before exercise, within 30 s after exercise, at 15 min after exercise, and subsequently at 30-min intervals after exercise for a total duration of 180 min. Serum LH concentration fell from a peak post-exercise level of 15.7 (4.7) IU·l−1 [mean (SD)] to a nadir of 10.3 (2.4) IU·l−1 (P<0.004). Nadir values in individual volunteers were seen between 60 and 150 min after exercise. This fall in serum LH was paralleled by a similar fall in the concentration of serum T. Serum melaonin concentrations did not change significantly after exercise. It is concluded that melatonin, despite is reported anti-gonadotropic properties, does not play a role in the depression of serum LH after acute strenuous exercise in physically active males
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arendt J (1985) Mammalian pineal rhythms. Pineal Res Rev 3:161–213
Arendt J (1988) Melatonin. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 29:205–229
Axelrod J (1974) The pineal gland as a neurochemical transducer. Science 184:1341–1348
Berga SL, Mortola JF, Yen SS (1988) Amplification of nocturnal melatonin secretion in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 66:242–4
Boyle WJ, Compton AA, Rigg G, Menon KMJ, McCann DS (1984) Serum testosterone measurements. Am J Clin Pathol 81:754–761
Bruce RA (1971) Exercise testing of patients with coronary artery disease: principles and normal standards for evaluation. Ann Clin Res 3:323–332
Carr DB, Reppert SM, Bullen B, Skrinar G, Beitens I, Arnold M, Rosenblatt M, Martin JB, McArthus JW (1981) Plasma melatonin increases with exercise. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 53:224–225
Carr DR, Bullen BA, Skrinar GS, Arnold MA, Rosenblatt M, Beitens IZ, Maryin JB, McArthur JW (1983) Physical conditioning facilites the exercise induced secretion of beta-endorphin and beta-lipotropin in women. N Engl J Med 305:560–563
Chazot G, Claustrat B, Brun J, Olivier M (1985) Rapid antidepressant activity of des-try gamma endorphin: correlation with urinary melatonin. Biol Psychiatry 20:1026–1030
Colt EW, Wardlaw SL, Frantz AG (1981) The effect of running on plasma endorphin. Life Sci 28:1637–1640
Deuster PA, Kule SB, Singh A, Moser PB, Barnier LL, Yu-Yahiro JA, Schoomaker EB (1991) Exercise-induced changes in blood minerals, associated proteins and hormones in women athletes. J Sports Med Phys Fitness 31:552–560
Elias AN, Iyer K, Pandian MR, Weathersbee P, Stone S, Tobis J (1986) β-Endorphin/β-lipotropin release and gonadotropin secretion after acute exercise in normal males. J Appl Physiol 61:2045–2049
Elias AN, Fairshter R, Pandian MR, Domurat E, Kayaleh R (1989) β-Endorphin/β-lipotropin and gonadotropin secretion after acute exercise in physically conditioned males. Eur J Appl Physiol 58:522–527
Elias AN, Wilson AF, Pandian MR, Chune G, Utsumi A, Kayaleh R, Stone SC (1991) Corticotropin releasing hormone and gonadotropin secretion in physically active males after acute exercise. Eur J Appl Physiol 62:171–174
Gaffori O, Geffard M, Ree J van (1983) Des-try 1-gamma-endorphin and haloperidol increase pineal gland melatonin levels in rats. Peptides 4:393–395
Gamert SR, Garthwaite TL, Pontzer CH, Cook EE, Tristani FE, Duthie EH, Martinson DR, Hagen TC, McCarthy DJ (1981) Running elevates plasma β-endorphin immunoreactivity and ACTH in untrained human subjects. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 168:1–4
Grossman A, Bouloux P, Price P, Drury PL, Lam KS, Turner T, Thomas J, Besser GM, Sutton J (1984) The role of opioid peptides in the hormonal responses to acute exercise in man. Clin Sci 67:483–491
Grota LJ, Sniecknus V, DeSilva SO, Tsui HW, Holloway WR, Lewy AJ, Brown GM (1982) Radioimmunoassay of melatonin in rat serum. Prog Neuro psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 5:523–526
Gupta D, Riedel L, Frick HJ, Attanasio A, Ranke MB (1983) Circulating melatonin in children in relation to puberty, endocrine disorders, functional tests and racial origin. Neuroendocrinol Lett 5:63–78
Herold DA, Savory J, Bruns DE (1980) Determination of lactic acid concentration in spinal fluid: results on patients samples using automated enzymatic assay. Clin Chem 26:968
Illnerrova H, Bachstrom M, Saapf J, Wetterberg L, Vancbo B (1978) Melatonin in rat pineal gland and serum, rapid parallel decline after light exposure at night. Neurosci Lett 9:189–193
Klein DC (1979) Circadian rhythms in the pineal gland. In: Krieger OT (ed) Endocrine rhythms. Raven, New York, pp 203–223
Klein DC, Weller JL (1970) Indole metabolism in the pineal gland, a circadian rhythm in N-acetyltransferase. Science 169:1093–1095
Lincoln GA, Short RV (1980) Seasonal breeding: Nature's contraceptive. Rec Prog Horm Res 36:1–52
Odell WD, Ross CT, Rayford PL (1966) Radioimmunoassay for human luteinizing hormone. Metabolism 15:287–289
Ronkainen H, Vakkuri O, Kaupilla A (1986) Effect of physical exercise on the serum concentrations of melatonin in female runners. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 65:827–829
Schwartz B, Cumming DC, Riordan E, Selye M, Yen SSC, Rebar RW (1981) Exercise-induced amenorrhea: a distinct entity. Am J Obstet Gynecol 141:662–670
Silman R (1991) Melatonin and the human gonadotrophin-releasing hormone pulse generator. J Endocrinol 128:7–11
Silman RE, Leone RM, Hooper M, Preece MA (1979) Melatonin, the pineal gland and human puberty. Nature 292:30
Skrinar GS, Bullen BA, Reppert SM, Peachery SE, Turnbull BA, McArthur JW (1989) Melatonin response to exercise training in women. J Pineal Res 7:185–194
Theron JJ, Oosthuizen JMC, Rautenbach MM (1984) Effect of physical exercise on plasma melatonin levels in normal volunteers. S Aft Med J 66:836–841
Vaughan GM, Reiter RJ (1987) The Syrian hamster pineal gland responds to isoproterenol in vivo at night. Endocrinoloy 120:1682–1684
Vaughan GM, MCDonald SD, Jordan RM, Allen JP, Bell R, Stevens EA (1979) Melatonin, pituitary function and stress in humans. Psychoneuroendocrinology 4:351–362
Waldhauser F, Frisch H, Waldhauser M, Weisenbacher G, Zeithuber V, Wurtman RJ (1984) Fall in nocturnal melatonin during prepuberty and pubescence. Lancet I:362–365
Wennink JM, Delemarre-van de Waal HA, Schoemaker R, Schoemaker H, Schoemaker J (1990) Luteinizing hormone and follicle stimulating hormone secretion patterns in girls throughout puberty measured using highly sensitive immunoradiometric assays. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 33:333–344
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Elias, A.N., Wilson, A.F., Pandian, M.R. et al. Melatonin and gonadotropin secretion after acute exercise in physically active males. Europ. J. Appl. Physiol. 66, 357–361 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237782
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237782