Effect of follicle-stimulating hormone upon estrogen and progesterone secretion by cultures of monkey granulosa cells recovered during the periovulatory period

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For determination of how exposure of the monkey follicle to the preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) surge alters its responsiveness to FSH in terms of estrogen and progesterone secretory ability, monkey thecal tissue and granulosa cells were harvested prior to and during the midcycle LH/FSH surge and cultured for 8 days with testosterone and with and without 100 ng human FSH. The addition of FSH enhanced estrogen secretion in culture (6.8 and 7 times on the average after 6 and 8 days, respectively; P less than 0.05) by granulosa cells if they were harvested prior to, but not during, the midcycle LH/FSH surge. In contrast, the FSH could stimulate granulosa cell progesterone secretion if the cells were harvested both prior to (60- to 100-fold stimulation) and during the midcycle LH/FSH surge (10- to 60-fold stimulation; P less than 0.05). It can be concluded that exposure of the preovulatory monkey follicle to the midcycle LH/FSH surge alters its responsiveness to FSH in terms of estrogen secretion.