Sex change was induced in Epinephelus marginatus juveniles using a nonsteroidal aromatase inhibitor (AI), a synthetic androgen (17α-methyltestosterone; MT), and a combination of both (MT + AI) in a 90-day experiment. A detailed remodeling of the gonads, the plasma level of gonadal steroids, and immunostaining of pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and somatolactin (SL) cells were analyzed. Sex inversion reached the final spermatogenesis stages using MT, while AI triggered spermatogenesis, but reaching only the spermatid stage. Estradiol (E₂) levels did not change in fish treated with AI but decreased throughout the experimental period in animals treated with MT and MT + AI. Testosterone (T) levels increased in animals treated with MT during the first 60 days (and combined with AI in the first 30 days), decreasing in all experimental groups at 90 days, while AI-treated animals had increased plasma 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) levels after 90 days. In control fish, FSH- and SL-producing cells (ir-FSH and ir-SL) were restricted to pars intermedia (PI) of the adenohypophysis. Pituitary ir-FSH cells were decreased at the end of the experimental period in all treatments compared with the CT animals. LH-producing cells (ir-LH) were present in proximal pars distalis (PPD) and pars intermedia (PI) of adenohypophysis and did not change after the experimental period. The decreased number of ir-FSH cells at the end of the experiment in all treatments could be related to the negative feedback loop triggered by the increase in natural and/or synthetic androgens.

在90天的实验中，使用非类固醇芳香化酶抑制剂（AI），合成雄激素（17α-甲基睾丸激素； MT）以及两者的组合（MT + AI）诱导了边缘斑马鱼的性改变。分析了性腺的详细重塑，性腺类固醇的血浆水平以及垂体卵泡刺激素（FSH），黄体生成素（LH）和生长抑素（SL）细胞的免疫染色。性别反转使用MT达到了最终的精子形成阶段，而AI触发了精子发生，但仅达到了精子阶段。雌二醇（E ₂）的水平在用AI处理的鱼中没有变化，但在整个实验期间在用MT和MT + AI处理的动物中均降低了。在最初60天内用MT治疗的动物中睾丸激素（T）水平升高（在最初30天内与AI结合），在90天时所有实验组均降低，而用AI治疗的动物血浆11-酮睾酮水平升高（11 -KT）水平在90天后。在对照鱼中，产FSH和SL的细胞（ir-FSH和ir-SL）仅限于腺垂体的中间部分（PI）。与CT动物相比，在所有治疗中，垂体ir-FSH细胞在实验期末均减少。产LH的细胞（ir-LH）存在于远端近端parsis（PPD）和中间pars（PI）的腺垂体并且在实验期后没有变化。在所有处理中，实验结束时，ir-FSH细胞数量减少可能与天然和/或合成雄激素增加引起的负反馈回路有关。