Does the Seasonal Increase in Estradiol Negative Feedback Prevent Luteinizing Hormone Surges in Anestrous Ewes by Suppressing Hypothalamic Gonadotropin-releasing Hormone Pulse Frequency?1

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
To test the hypothesis that the anestrous increase in estradiol negative feedback prevents estrous cycles by suppressing hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse frequency, a variety of regimens of increasing GnRH pulse frequency were administered to anestrous ewes for 3 days. A luteinizing hormone (LH) surge was induced in 45 of 46 ewes regardless of amplitude or frequency of GnRH pulses, but only 19 had luteal phases. Estradiol administration induced LH surges in 6 of 6 ewes, only 3 having luteal phases. Anestrous luteal phase progesterone profiles were similar in incidence, time course and amplitude to those of the 1st luteal phases of the breeding season, which in turn had lower progesterone maxima than late breeding season luteal phases. In the remaining ewes, progesterone increased briefly or not at all, the increases being similar to the transient rises in progesterone occurring in most ewes at the onset of the breeding season. Apparently, increasing GnRH pulse frequency induces LH surges in anestrus and that the subsequent events are similar to those at the beginning of the breeding season. Evidently, the negative feedback action of estradiol prevents cycles in anestrus by suppressing the frequency of the hypothalamic pulse generator.

This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit: