Biomaterial Database

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone--diversity of functions and clinical applications. 1987

R P Millar, and J A King, and J S Davidson, and R C Milton

Department of Chemical Pathology, University of Cape Town.

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of the reproductive system. Chemically synthesised GnRH and analogues have found wide application in clinical medicine. Pulsatile administration of GnRH is used in the treatment of infertility and cryptorchidism. GnRH agonists inhibit gonadotrophin by pituitary desensitisation while antagonists compete out the effects of endogenous GnRH. These agents find application in contraception, the treatment of hormone-dependent neoplasms, precocious puberty, endometriosis, porphyria and disturbances of the menstrual cycle. It is now apparent that GnRH has been co-opted during evolution for functions other than the stimulation of gonadotrophins. GnRH has paracrine (local) effects in the gonads and placenta, acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, and has autocrine regulatory effects in some tumour cells. Evolutionary studies in non-mammalian vertebrates show that the GnRH gene has been duplicated to produce different molecular forms of unknown function. In addition to producing GnRH, the GnRH precursor is cleaved to produce peptides with novel activities, including prolactin inhibition.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007247	Infertility, Female	Diminished or absent ability of a female to achieve conception.	Sterility, Female,Sterility, Postpartum,Sub-Fertility, Female,Subfertility, Female,Female Infertility,Female Sterility,Female Sub-Fertility,Female Subfertility,Postpartum Sterility,Sub Fertility, Female
D008297	Male		Males
D010906	Pituitary Hormone-Releasing Hormones	Peptides, natural or synthetic, that stimulate the release of PITUITARY HORMONES. They were first isolated from the extracts of the HYPOTHALAMUS; MEDIAN EMINENCE; PITUITARY STALK; and NEUROHYPOPHYSIS. In addition, some hypophysiotropic hormones control pituitary cell differentiation, cell proliferation, and hormone synthesis. Some can act on more than one pituitary hormone.	Hormones, Pituitary Hormone Releasing,Hypophysiotropic Hormones,Hypothalamic Hypophysiotropic Hormone,Hypothalamic Releasing Factor,Hypothalamic Releasing Hormone,Hypothalamic Releasing Hormones,Hormone, Hypothalamic Hypophysiotropic,Hormones, Hypophysiotropic,Hypophysiotropic Hormone, Hypothalamic,Pituitary Hormone Releasing Hormones,Releasing Hormone, Hypothalamic
D012098	Reproduction	The total process by which organisms produce offspring. (Stedman, 25th ed)	Human Reproductive Index,Human Reproductive Indexes,Reproductive Period,Human Reproductive Indices,Index, Human Reproductive,Indexes, Human Reproductive,Indices, Human Reproductive,Period, Reproductive,Periods, Reproductive,Reproductive Index, Human,Reproductive Indices, Human,Reproductive Periods
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D051379	Mice	The common name for the genus Mus.	Mice, House,Mus,Mus musculus,Mice, Laboratory,Mouse,Mouse, House,Mouse, Laboratory,Mouse, Swiss,Mus domesticus,Mus musculus domesticus,Swiss Mice,House Mice,House Mouse,Laboratory Mice,Laboratory Mouse,Mice, Swiss,Swiss Mouse,domesticus, Mus musculus
D051381	Rats	The common name for the genus Rattus.	Rattus,Rats, Laboratory,Rats, Norway,Rattus norvegicus,Laboratory Rat,Laboratory Rats,Norway Rat,Norway Rats,Rat,Rat, Laboratory,Rat, Norway,norvegicus, Rattus