The effect of somatostatin analog octreotide (Sandostatin) on luteinizing hormone and ovarian steroids in insulin-dependent diabetic women without residual insulin secretion.

Abstract

In order to determine whether the inhibitory effect of octreotide on luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion and ovarian steroids observed in women with polycystic ovaries (PCO) is a direct or indirect action of the analog, we have investigated the effect of 7 days of octreotide on LH, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and ovarian steroids in nine insulin-dependent diabetic women without residual insulin secreting, as in these patients a possibly confusing inhibitory effect of octreotide on endogenous insulin production is excluded. LH and FSH pulsatility over 4 h and hormonal responses (LH, FSH, estradiol, testosterone and androstenedione) to a single subcutaneous injection of buserelin were measured before and after 7 days' treatment with octreotide 100 micrograms subcutaneously twice a day. Octreotide failed to induce a significant reduction in either serum gonadotropin or ovarian steroid levels, although there was a general tendency of hormonal responses to buserelin to be lower with the analog. The effect of octreotide on LH secretion seems to be in correlation with the pretreatment levels which are, in turn, at least determined partly by endogenous insulin secretion. Thus, the results of the present study support the view that insulin has an important influence on LH secretion.