Abstract
Endogenous opioids are found in the central nervous system and multiple peripheral organs and affect the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonad axis at several levels in vertebrates. However, the influence of these opioid peptides on fish spermatogenesis is poorly studied. This investigation examined the impact of the opioid peptide dynorphin-A (DYN) on the pituitary–testicular axis in the tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus. Intraperitoneal injections of 5 µg DYN/day/fish for 21 days did not affect the early developmental stages of germ cells, but caused a significant decrease in the numbers of secondary spermatocytes and early and late spermatids compared with the controls. Although the mean area of the lobule was significantly decreased, there was a significant increase in the areas of the lumen and the interstitium in the DYN-treated group relative to controls. These results were concomitant with significantly lower serum levels of 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) and luteinizing hormone (LH) in DYN-treated fish than in controls. However, the serum level of cortisol was significantly higher in the DYN-treated fish group. Overall, these results, for the first time, indicate that DYN interferes with spermatogenesis at the late stage of meiosis, leading to impairment in spermiogenesis, possibly mediated through the suppression of 11-KT secretion in the testis and LH release from the pituitary. This study also suggests that DYN may bring about this inhibitory effect via activation of the stress axis in teleosts.
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Acknowledgements
The first author expresses gratitude to Karnatak University, Dharwad, for conferring a University Research Scholarship (URS). The authors are thankful for the infrastructural support provided by the Science and Engineering Research Board—Department of Science and Technology (SERB—DST), New Delhi, India.
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Deepak Shinde conducted the experiment and performed data analysis. Bhat S. K. helped in the data analysis and preparation of the manuscript draft. Ganesh was responsible for the conceptualization, supervision, and review and editing of the manuscript.
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Shinde, D., Bhat, S.K. & Ganesh, C.B. The opioid peptide dynorphin interferes with testicular activity in Mozambique tilapia. Fish Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-024-01766-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12562-024-01766-1