THE SEQUENCE OF HORMONAL CHANGES DURING PROSTAGLANDIN INDUCED LUTEOLYSIS OF THE SUPERLUTEINIZED RAT OVARY

Abstract

ABSTRACT Immature female rats were pre-treated with pregnant mare's serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) to achieve superluteinization. Eight days after the HCG administration luteolysis was induced by sc injection of 5 μg of the prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) analogue cloprostenol (Estrumate®). The serum levels of progesterone, 20α-dihydroprogesterone (20α-DHP), prolactin (PRL) and luteinizing hormone (LH) as well as the number of ovarian LH binding sites were measured during the first 23 h after cloprostenol injection. The serum levels of progesterone decreased from 500 to 200 ng/ml within 25 min after cloprostenol administration. A further decrease to 20 ng/ml occurred during the next 4 h, and serum progesterone remained low for the rest of the period. An increase in serum prolactin (PRL) to values between 28 and 44 ng/ml was observed after 3 h and the values remained elevated for the next 7 h. Although the serum levels of progesterone declined immediately, the serum 20α-dihydroprogesterone (20α-DHP) levels remained at 60 to 140 ng/ml for the first 5 h and then gradually increased to values corresponding to the initial progesterone levels 14 to 23 h after treatment. The number of ovarian LH binding sites was between 1.2 and 1.4 × 10−12 mol/mg protein during the first 9 h after prostaglandin (PG) injection, and then decrreased to 0.8 and 0.5 × 10−12 mol/mg protein at 14 and 23 h, respectively. The serum LH levels remained below the limit of detection for the assay (10 ng/ml) throughout the observation period. PGF2α injection induced the same basic changes in the serum levels of progesterone and 20α-DHP as cloprostenol treatment. Thus, the first effect of PG treatment measured was an immediate decline in the serum levels of progesterone, and this decline probably initiated the subsequent increase in pituitay PRL and ovarian 20α-DHP secretion. Therefore, the decrease in the number of ovarian LH binding sites appeared to be a consequence rather than a mediator of luteolytic effects of the prostaglandins.