STEROID HORMONE FORMATION BY THE RAT OVARY.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Ovaries were transplanted to the spleens of castrate male rats. After 120 days, slices of ovarian tissue, composed predominantly of copora lutea, were incubated in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate medium containing 50 mc acetate-1-C14. Radioactive steroid formation was assessed quantitatively by reverse isotope dilution. The formation of radioactive progesterone and 20[alpha]-hydroxy-pregn-4-en-3-one was established. The formation of radioactive 3[beta]-hydroxy-pregn-5-en-20-one, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, estrone and 17[beta]-estradiol could not be established. It appears that the corpus luteum of the rat, induced by endogenous gonadotropins, forms only progestins from acetate-1-C14. Contrary to results previously obtained with ovarian tissue transplanted to female rats, radioactive steroid formation in vitro appeared to be augmented by luteinizing hormone (NIH-LH-S1) added to the incubation flasks. Administration of human chorionic gonadotropin (200 IU/day) for 5 days prior to autopsy did not enhance acetate-1-C14 incorporation in vitro.