Effects of oestradiol and prolactin on progesterone production by rhesus monkey luteal cells in vitro

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Abstract
The effects of estradiol and prolactin (Prl) on progesterone production by dispersed monkey luteal cells were examined. Corpora lutea were recovered from monkeys 5-7 days following ovulation induction during the puerperium. The tissue was dispersed by collagenase and mechanical disruption. The resulting cells were incubated in Dulbecco''s modified Eagle''s medium, containing the hormones to be tested, for 3 h at 37.degree. C. The medium was removed and assayed for progesterone. Human luteinizing hormone (hLH) produced a significant, dose-related increase in progesterone secretion that was comparable to that produced by dibutyryl cAMP. Human FSH had no effect upon progesterone production by the luteal cells. Estradiol (100-10,000 pg/ml) produced a significant, dose-related decrease in both basal and hLH-stimulated progesterone production. Ovine Prl (oPrl) had neither a stimulatory nor an inhibitory effect upon basal progesterone secretion at doses up to 1000 ng/ml. oPrl did not affect hLH-stimulated progesterone production. Estradiol evidently is a potent inhibitor of luteal progesterone secretion in vitro. Prl does not inhibit progesterone production in the primate corpus luteum under these experimental conditions.