The opioid peptide dynorphin suppresses pituitary‐ovary axis in the tilapia Oreochromis mossambicus

Abstract

The opioid peptides are involved in the regulation of neuroendocrine functions in vertebrates. Nonetheless, the influence of an opioid peptide, dynorphin A (DYN), on reproduction in fish is understudied. The aim of this work was to study the influence of DYN on the pituitary‐ovary axis in Oreochromis mossambicus. Daily injections (ip) of 250 μg DYN kg−1 body weight for 22 days during the ovarian cycle caused a reduction in the intensity and the per cent area of luteinizing hormone (LH) immunoreactive content in the proximal pars distalis region of the pituitary gland compared with an intense immunostaining in time‐matched controls. In the ovary, DYN treatment caused a decrease in the number of stage I (previtellogenic) follicles compared with time‐matched controls. No difference was observed in the number of stage IV (vitellogenic) follicles among different experimental groups, whereas the numbers of stage II and stage III follicles (previtellogenic) were higher in DYN‐treated fish than in time‐matched controls. Nonetheless, there was a reduction in the number of stage V (preovulatory) follicles in DYN‐treated fish compared with time‐matched controls. Taken together, these results indicate that DYN exerts an inhibitory effect on follicular recruitment at the late vitellogenic stage, through the suppression of LH secretion in fish.