INTRODUCTION: Adropin is a hormone discovered in 2008 that is expressed in the brain, liver, kidneys, lungs, muscles, and adipose tissue; its expression is strongly associated with the body’s metabolic status and can positively affect glucose metabolism and insulin resistance, among other processes. The body’s metabolic status has a strong influence on reproduction; however, there are limited studies on the role of adropin in the hypothalamic–pituitary axis.

AIM(S): Therefore, in this study, we focused on describing the role of adropin in porcine pituitary cells.

METHOD(S): First, we examined the expression of adropin and its receptor, GPR19, at both the gene and protein levels (RT-qPCR, Western blot) in the anterior pituitary of female pigs across different phases of the estrous cycle (days 2–3, 10–12, 14–16, and 17–19). Additionally, we examined the effect of adropin (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 nM) after 24 h on the viability of anterior pituitary cells collected from different phases of the estrous cycle (alamarBlue assay).

RESULTS: Our results, for the first time, demonstrate the expression of adropin in female pigs throughout the estrous cycle. Furthermore, we showed that adropin exerts a downregulating effect on the viability of anterior pituitary cells across all phases of the estrous cycle.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings provide a foundation for further analyses of the precise effects of metabolism-related hormones on pituitary cells and may contribute to a better understanding of how metabolic hormones influence reproductive processes.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Budget of Institute of Zoology and Biomedical Research, Jagiellonian University