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Chapter 4 - The Male Reproductive Endocrine System

from Section 1 - Scientific Foundations of Male Infertility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 July 2023

By
Ettore Caroppo
Edited by
Larry I. Lipshultz ,
Stuart S. Howards ,
Craig S. Niederberger  and
Dolores J. Lamb
Larry I. Lipshultz
Affiliation:
Baylor College of Medicine, Texas
Stuart S. Howards
Affiliation:
University of Virginia
Craig S. Niederberger
Affiliation:
University of Illinois, Chicago
Dolores J. Lamb
Affiliation:
Weill Cornell Medical College, New York
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Summary

The male reproductive endocrine system function is strictly dependent on the dynamic interplay between neural and hormonal signals originating from the hypothalamus where specific neurons secrete gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in an episodic pattern of pulses under the control of excitatory and inhibitory signals from neuromodulators, the anterior pituitary where GnRH binds to its own receptors on a specific pituitary cell type to stimulate pituitary gonadotropin secretion, and the testes where the trophic actions of gonadotropins result in the promotion of spermatogenesis and secretion of testicular steroids and peptides, which, in turn, modulate hypothalamic and pituitary function in both positive and negative feedback loops.

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Chapter
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Infertility in the Male , pp. 62 - 76
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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References

Further Reading

Campo, S, Ambao, V, Creus, S, et al. Carbohydrate complexity and proportions of serum FSH isoforms in the male: lectin-based studies. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2007;260–2:197–204.Google Scholar
Das, N, Kumar, TR. Molecular regulation of follicle-stimulating hormone synthesis, secretion and action. J Mol Endocrinol 2018;60:R131–55.Google Scholar
Moore, AM, Coolen, LM, Porter, DT, Goodman, RL, Lehman, MN. KNDy cells revisited. Endocrinology 2018;159:3219–34.Google Scholar

References

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