Retardation of ovarian growth and depression of serum steroid levels in the tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, by cortisol implantation

doi:10.1016/0044-8486(93)90364-5

Aquaculture

Volume 115, Issues 1–2, 15 August 1993, Pages 133-143

https://doi.org/10.1016/0044-8486(93)90364-5 Get rights and content

Abstract

Female Oreochromis mossambicus were implanted with cortisol suspended in cocoa-butter for the evaluation of the chronic effects of cortisol on reproduction. Implant doses of 1.5 and 3.0 mg/g body weight, mimicking the effects of long-term chronic stress, suppressed various reproductive parameters over the 18-day treatment period. Most fish treated with cortisol showed reductions in body weight. Oocyte size and gonadosomatic index of treated fish became significantly lower than the control after 9 and 12 days of treatment, respectively. The retardation of oocyte growth was accompanied by depression of serum testosterone and oestradiol-17β levels.

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Further, confinement in Acanthopagrus butcheri caused elevated cortisol levels with decreased sex hormone levels to prove that stress causes a rapid change in the levels of hormones and inhibition of gonadal steroidogenesis which eventually disrupts reproduction (Haddy & Pankhurst, 1999). Stress induction in Oreochromis mossambicus triggered serum cortisol and decreased E2 levels which further inhibited the recruitment of preovulatory follicles leads to the interruption of spawning (Foo & Lam, 1993). In another study, repeated acute stress for nine months before spawning showed a significant delay in ovulation and reduced egg size, while in males, lowered sperm counts (Rurangwa et al., 2004).
Fishes exert stress response in a various ways depending on the type of the stressor. The stress responses are activated through a cascade mechanism stimulated by the stressor which involves the hypothalamus–hypophyseal–interrenal (HHI) axis, catecholamines (CA), and gonadotropins. Adaptive stress responses may positively impact the fish survival and reproduction, while continuous or prolonged stress causes adverse effects on the fish reproduction. Corticotropin-releasing factor and adrenocorticotropic hormone are the principal hormones responsible for producing corticosteroids through the HHI axis. Cortisol acts differentially on the stress response as it helps at the early developmental stage; conversely, it impairs the gonadal function. CA have a critical role in maintaining body homeostasis and intermediary metabolism, and they also have a predominant role in reproductive function. Besides hormones, few genetic and epigenetic factors have been identified to understand the molecular responses to stress however, genome-wide associated studies will be initiated to investigate a complete picture of the stress mechanism. Further, recent evidence suggests a growing concern in determining the correlation between the stress hormone level and its associated gene function. Hence, this review highlights the regulation of stress responses in different axes, genetic and epigenetic factors related to stress, and the integration of recent technologies and novel hypotheses to unravel the stress response mechanism in fish reproduction.
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Anesthesia is a common practice used in fish research and aquaculture. It is important to understand anesthetic effects on the animal and tissues of interest to ensure validity of data and to improve animal welfare in research and fish production endeavors. The production of some captive fish species is only possible by imposing artificial reproduction procedures, and manipulation of fish for these purposes is a stressor. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to evaluate effects of different concentrations (100, 200, and 300 mg/L) of the anesthetic MS-222 (tricaine methanesulfonate) on cortisol concentrations and effects on sperm quality in Rhamdia quelen. After hormonal induction of gamete production, 28 sexually mature males were randomly assigned to treatments, and milt and blood samples were collected. Anesthesia induction time, motility rate, sperm concentration and morphology, plasma cortisol concentrations, and reproductive hormone concentrations (testosterone, 17-α-hydroxyprogesterone, and estradiol) were evaluated. Sperm motility was greater in the control than 300 mg/L treatment group but did not differ among the control, 100, and 200 mg/L groups. The estradiol concentration was greater in non- anesthetized than anesthetized Rhamdia quelen, but plasma cortisol concentrations did not differ among treatment groups (182.50 ± 42.03 ng/mL). The anesthetic MS-222 at concentrations of 100, 200, and 300 mg/L did not inhibit the stress response due to handling of Rhamdia quelen males. In addition, treatment with MS-222 was not effective in inhibiting detrimental effects on sperm quality because this treatment was associated with impaired sperm motility and lesser concentrations of plasma estradiol.
Special features of neuroendocrine interactions between stress and reproduction in teleosts
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Stress and reproduction are both essential functions for vertebrate survival, ensuring on one side adaptative responses to environmental changes and potential life threats, and on the other side production of progeny. With more than 25,000 species, teleosts constitute the largest group of extant vertebrates, and exhibit a large diversity of life cycles, environmental conditions and regulatory processes. Interactions between stress and reproduction are a growing concern both for conservation of fish biodiversity in the frame of global changes and for the development of sustainability of aquaculture including fish welfare. In teleosts, as in other vertebrates, adverse effects of stress on reproduction have been largely documented and will be shortly overviewed. Unexpectedly, stress notably via cortisol, may also facilitate reproductive function in some teleost species in relation to their peculiar life cyles and this review will provide some examples. Our review will then mainly address the neuroendocrine axes involved in the control of stress and reproduction, namely the corticotropic and gonadotropic axes, as well as their interactions. After reporting some anatomo-functional specificities of the neuroendocrine systems in teleosts, we will describe the major actors of the corticotropic and gonadotropic axes at the brain-pituitary-peripheral glands (interrenals and gonads) levels, with a special focus on the impact of teleost-specific whole genome duplication (3R) on the number of paralogs and their potential differential functions. We will finally review the current knowledge on the neuroendocrine mechanisms of the various interactions between stress and reproduction at different levels of the two axes in teleosts in a comparative and evolutionary perspective.
Potash mining effluents induce moderate effects on histopathological and physiological endpoints of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio)
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Citation Excerpt :
Variation in size structure can partially be explained by cortisol levels. Implanted cortisol has been shown to suppress ovarian growth in adult tilapia experiencing chronic stress (Foo and Lam, 1993) and guppies under prolonged stress showed also reduced oocyte sizes (Dahlgren, 1979). Cortisol was elevated in fish in the HT and in the K group, but oocyte size in HT was reduced compared to K.
Stress in fish can be caused by a variety of factors and has the potential to evoke stress responses leading to a reduction of physical condition and of health. The river Werra (Germany) presents a severe case of secondary salinisation caused by potash mining activities. The model organism Danio rerio was exposed to different ion-concentrations depicting current (HT) and future (LT) threshold values of the Werra, as well as to solutions with single-exceeding ions (Mg²⁺ + K⁺ (KMg), Mg²⁺ (Mg) and K⁺ (K)). After a six-week exposure period, cortisol levels, growth and weight were measured, gills and gonads were histologically analysed and mRNA expression of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinising hormone (LH), growth hormone (GH) and prolactin (PRL) were determined. Cortisol was still elevated in fish in the HT and K group, indicating moderate stress. However, gills revealed structural changes in zebrafish in all exposure groups, size of oocytes differed in the LT and K group, male FSH mRNA levels were elevated in the HT and LT group whereas PRL mRNA levels were lower in HT and LT for both, male and female fish.
These results suggest that ion-stress induces moderate effects on a variety of biological parameters that mainly serve to adapt to elevated ion concentrations. For these reasons current and even future thresholds should be reconsidered, including thresholds for total as well as single ion concentrations. Future research looking at the effects on local fish species is needed, along with regular and long-term monitoring of environmental conditions, species abundance and diversity.
Distinguishing between endocrine disruption and non-specific effects on endocrine systems
2018, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology
Citation Excerpt :
Stress can lead to increased synthesis of cortisol, and cortisol can act as an inhibitory hormone of both male and female fish reproductive physiology over the whole reproductive cycle (Milla et al., 2010). Cortisol can lower sex steroid levels, leading to decreased gonado-somatic index (GSI), decreased Vtg levels and decreased secondary sex characteristics (tubercle score) (Foo and Lam, 1993; Carragher and Sumpter, 1990; Aluru and Vijayan, 2009; Milla et al., 2010; Pankhurst and Van der Kraak, 2000; Haddy and Pankhurst, 1999; Wu et al., 2003; Lethimonier et al., 2000). These results have been confirmed using in vivo studies of fish exposed to confinement stress (Pankhurst and Van der Kraak, 2000) or implanted with cortisol (Foo and Lam, 1993) leading to reduced sex hormone levels.
The endocrine system is responsible for growth, development, maintaining homeostasis and for the control of many physiological processes. Due to the integral nature of its signaling pathways, it can be difficult to distinguish endocrine-mediated adverse effects from transient fluctuations, adaptive/compensatory responses, or adverse effects on the endocrine system that are caused by mechanisms outside the endocrine system. This is particularly true in toxicological studies that require generation of effects through the use of Maximum Tolerated Doses (or Concentrations). Endocrine-mediated adverse effects are those that occur as a consequence of the interaction of a chemical with a specific molecular component of the endocrine system, for example, a hormone receptor. Non-endocrine-mediated adverse effects on the endocrine system are those that occur by other mechanisms. For example, systemic toxicity, which perturbs homeostasis and affects the general well-being of an organism, can affect endocrine signaling. Some organs/tissues can be affected by both endocrine and non-endocrine signals, which must be distinguished. This paper examines in vitro and in vivo endocrine endpoints that can be altered by non-endocrine processes. It recommends an evaluation of these issues in the assessment of effects for the determination of endocrine disrupting properties of chemicals. This underscores the importance of using a formal weight of evidence (WoE) process to evaluate potential endocrine activity.
Reproduction and Development
2016, Fish Physiology
- 1.
  Introduction
- 2.
  Regulation of Reproduction
  2.1.
  Patterns and Environmental Regulation of Reproduction
  2.2.
  Endocrine Control of Reproduction
- 3.
  Effects of Stress on Reproduction
  3.1.
  Effects on Reproductive Performance
  3.2.
  Effects of Stress on the Reproductive Endocrine System
  3.3.
  Thermal Stress: A Special Case?
  3.4.
  Effects of Hypoxia
  3.5.
  Stimulatory Effects of Stress on Reproduction
- 4.
  Mechanisms of Stress Action
  4.1.
  The Role of Cortisol: In Vivo Protocols
  4.2.
  The Role of Cortisol: In Vitro Protocols
  4.3.
  Effects of Other Stress Factors
- 5.
  Stress Effects on Reproduction in Natural Environments
- 6.
  Future Directions
Stress has a consistent inhibitory effect on reproductive performance in fish of both sexes, but in a smaller subset of conditions can have stimulatory effects. Inhibitory effects include the suppression of ovarian and testicular development, inhibition of ovulation and spawning, and the production of smaller eggs and larvae. Long-term effects on progeny remain largely undescribed. Endocrine effects include the suppression of hypothalamic, pituitary, and gonadal steroid hormones, with the effects on the production of gonadal androgens and estrogens generally being most profound. Understanding the mechanisms by which stress interferes with reproduction is complicated by the fact that stress-modulated hormones can have systemic effects as well as direct effects on the reproductive endocrine system, and experimental paradigms often don’t allow distinction between the two. With that caveat, there is evidence for inhibitory effects on reproduction from all levels in the stress endocrine axis but strongest evidence is available for the role of corticosteroids, noting that the dominance of the literature by studies on the effects of cortisol is partly a reflection of the relative ease of measurement of steroid hormones. Proposed mechanisms of action include systemic metabolic effects, genomic glucocorticoid receptor-mediated effects and direct action through nongenomic processes that may include substrate competition for steroid-converting enzymes and binding proteins. The majority of stress studies have involved laboratory assessment of captive or cultured fish populations and there is much less information on the effects of stress among free-living, wild fishes. It is clear that reproductive processes can be maintained over a wide range of corticosteroid concentrations, but there is also increasing evidence that social control of reproduction may be mediated by stress processes. There remains scope for improved understanding of stress-reproduction interactions at all levels of reproductive function.

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Retardation of ovarian growth and depression of serum steroid levels in the tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, by cortisol implantation

Abstract

Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.

Aquaculture

Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.

Sci. Total Environ.

Gen. Comp. Enhdocrinol.

Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.

Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.

Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.

Comp. Biochem. Physiol.

Gen. Comp. Endocrinnol.

Dev. Biol.

Radioimmunoassay of steroids in biological materials

Acta Endocrinol. Suppl.

The relationship between food supply and fecundity in brown trout Salmo trutta L.

J. Fish. Biol.

Effects of chronic cortisol administration and daily stress on growth, Physiological conditions, and stress responses in juvenile rainbow trout

Dis. Aquat. Org.

Stress, environment and reproduction in teleost fish

Corticosteroid physiology in fish

Prog. Comp. Endocrinol.

The deleterious effects of cortisol implantation on reproductive function in two species of trout, Salmo trutta L. and Salmo gairdneri Richardson

Gen. Comp. Endocrinol.