Effect of neurokinin B and dynorphin A on kisspeptin-10 secretion from the anterior pituitary cells of pubescent ewes <i>in vitro</i>.
Szysiak. Natalia N; Kosior-Korzecka. Urszula U; Greguła-Kania. Monika M; Patkowski. Krzysztof K; Fila. Mateusz M; Junkuszew. Andrzej A
Key Findings
- Neurokinin B (10⁻¹⁰ to 10⁻⁷ M) increased kisspeptin-10 secretion from anterior pituitary cells of pubescent ewes over 2–24 hours.
- The lowest concentration tested (10⁻¹¹ M) had no effect on kisspeptin-10 release.
- Dynorphin A showed no significant impact on kisspeptin-10 secretion at any concentration or time point.
Practical Outcomes
- For most biohackers, this study offers little direct guidance because it was done in vitro on sheep tissue, not humans. While it hints that neurokinin B can boost kisspeptin signaling, there’s no evidence yet that taking NKB or related compounds will affect human reproductive or metabolic health. Until human data are available, the findings are mainly of scientific interest rather than actionable protocol advice.
Summary
In a lab test using cells from young female sheep, the researchers found that adding the neuropeptide neurokinin B (NKB) caused the cells to release more kisspeptin-10, a hormone involved in reproductive signaling. The effect depended on how much NKB was added and how long the cells were exposed. The related peptide dynorphin A did not change kisspeptin-10 release at any dose.
Abstract
Neurokinin B (NKB), dynorphin A (Dyn A) and kisspeptin (KiSS) are key agents that participate in the neuroendocrine regulation of the development and functioning of the reproductive system. While the role of KiSS is better understood, the functions of NKB and Dyn A at the pituitary level have not been elucidated. The objective of our study was to analyse their direct effect on kisspeptin-10 (KiSS-10) secretion by anterior pituitary cells isolated from pubescent ewes. Pituitary cells from 10-month-old ewe lambs were incubated in McCoy's 5A medium without hormones (the control), or with 10<sup>-11</sup>, 10<sup>-10</sup>, 10<sup>-9</sup>, 10<sup>-8</sup> or 10<sup>-7</sup> M of NKB or Dyn A for 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 or 24 h. The concentration of KiSS-10 was analysed by ELISA using species-specific antibodies. When applied at the concentrations of 10<sup>-10</sup>-10<sup>-7</sup> M, NKB increased KiSS-10 secretion throughout the entire experiment (2-24 h), compared to the control. Significantly higher (P-value ≤ 0.05) KiSS-10 release than in the control was observed after 6-24 h exposure of the cells to 10<sup>-8</sup> M of NKB. However, no effect of NKB on the secretion of KiSS-10 was shown when applied at the lowest concentration (10<sup>-11</sup> M). In turn, there was no significant effect of Dyn A at any concentration on KiSS-10 secretion by pituitary cells at any time. In contrast to Dyn A, NKB can directly affect KiSS-10 secretion from the pituitary cells of pubescent ewes in a way dependent on the time of exposure to this neuropeptide and its concentration in the culture medium. This phenomenon may indicate a potential role of NKB in the initiation of reproductive activity, which leads to the achievement of sexual maturity in the optimal developmental window.
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-05-03T00:00:00.000Z
10.2478/jvetres-2025-0026
32