Abstract
Two experiments were carried out to determine whether the serum gonadotropin levels found in the neonatal female rat play a role in the sexual differentiation of the neuroendocrine axis. Female rats were injected either with 100 μg of testosterone propionate (TP) on day 2 or day 3, or with the combination of TP and gonadotropins (5O μg of FSH and 5O μg of LH/day for 3 days). When animals receiving both gonadotropins and TP were compared with those receiving TP alone, it was observed that gonadotropins significantly delayed or prevented the onset of persistent vaginal estrus (p < 0.01) and significantly ameliorated both the decrease in ovarian weight (p < 0.05) and the loss of female sexual behavior (p < 0.05) due to the injection of testosterone propionate. The possible sites of action for the gonadotropins and a hypothesis for the mechanism of action are discussed. (Endocrinology 92: 500, 1973)
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