Abstract
A study was designed to examine the testicular function of male offspring rats produced by diabetic dams. A marked decrease in testosterone response to exogenous administration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was found in male offspring of female rats made diabetic by administration of streptozotocin during early pregnancy. Control rats responded to GnRH with a marked increase in serum testosterone within 4-h postinjection. Male offspring of diabetic female rats demonstrated an unexpected decrease in serum testosterone in response to GnRH when compared with saline-injected rats. The results suggest that a defect in Leydig cell function may occur in the male offspring of diabetic female rats. However, a decreased release of pituitary LH in response to exogenous GnRH stimulation cannot be excluded as a cause of the lower testosterone values.
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