n fish, like in mammals, ghrelin affects gonadotropin release acting at the level of the hypothalamus as well
as directly on the pituitary gland. In the present study, enzymatically dispersed pituitary cells obtained from
sexually mature male and female carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) were incubated in the presence of human ghrelin
at the concentration of 10 − 7 or 10 − 6 M, salmon GnRH analogue (Des-Gly10, D-Arg6, Trp7, Leu8, Pro9)-LHRH
(sGnRH-A) at the concentration of 10 − 8 M or the combination of ghrelin (both concentrations) and sGnRHA. ELISA method was used for carp LH levels determination in the media collected after 10 or 24 h of
incubation. Ghrelin at the concentration of 10 − 6 M caused the increase of the spontaneous LH secretion from
female pituitary cells only. The combination of ghrelin (both concentrations) with sGnRH-A resulted in the
significant elevation of LH levels in the incubations of both male and female pituitary cells in comparison
with control incubations as well as with sGnRH-A alone treated cells. The results obtained in this study show
that ghrelin functions as LH-stimulating hormone in common carp and that it acts directly on gonadotrophic
cells, potentiating also the action of GnRH.