EFFECTS OF PITUITARY HORMONES ON PROGESTATIONAL HORMONE PRODUCTION BY THE RABBIT OVARY IN VIVO AND IN VITRO

Abstract

SUMMARY: Ovine luteinizing hormone (LH) increased the output of progestational steroids (20α-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one and progesterone) in rabbit ovarian venous blood. Similar increases were found with ovine follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and growth hormone, but much larger amounts were necessary. Ovine prolactin was without effect. The increased output was due to increased synthesis and not only to release of stored steroids. Synthesis of these progestational steroids was stimulated by LH incubated with rabbit ovarian tissue. The stimulation produced by FSH was probably due to contamination by LH since the log dose-response lines for LH and FSH were parallel, and FSH was approximately 100 times less active than LH. Ovine prolactin had no stimulatory activity in concentrations up to 20 μg./ml. The stimulatory action of LH was unrelated to the presence of corpora lutea. Separated corpora lutea showed only a slight response to LH, whereas the response of interstitial tissue was similar to that found with undissected ovaries. Hence LH caused progestational steroid synthesis by stimulating the ovarian interstitial tissue.