Ovulatory Response, and Plasma Concentrations of Luteinizing Hormone and Progesterone Following Administration of Synthetic Mammalian or Chicken Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Relative to the First or Second Ovulation in the Sequence of the Domestic Hen

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Abstract
Experiments were conducted to investigate hypophyseal and follicular competency at 2 distinct stages of the hen''s egg laying sequence; 14 h prior to the first (C1) ovulation of a sequence (27 h following the previous ovulation) and 14 h prior to the second (C2) ovulation of a sequence (13 h following the previous ovulation). When a single dose of mammalian LHRH (mLHRH) or chicken LHRH (cLHRH) was injected 14 h prior to a C1 ovulation, premature ovulation was induced in 19 of 20 hens. Ovulation was premature in only 1 of 20 hens when mLHRH or cLHRH was injected 14 h prior to a C2 ovulation. There was no difference between the 2 stages of the sequence in the amount of luteinizing hormone (LH) released for up to 60 min following a single i.v. injection of 20 .mu.g mLHRH. Only prior to a C1 ovulation did LH levels further increase to reach preovulatory concentrations. Progesterone (P4) concentrations were increased within the first 60 min to a lesser extent in hens injected prior to a C2 ovulation compared to a C1 ovulation. In C2-injected birds, P4 fell to levels that were not different from vehicle-injected controls by 45-60 min following injection, whereas P4 secretion was maintained in hens injected prior to a C1 ovulation. The lack of sustained LH secretion following treatment with either species of LHRH 14 h prior to a C2 ovulation is related to follicular immaturity with respect to ability to produce and secrete P4. At the dosage administered, there was no difference in the ability of mLHRH compared to cLHRH to release LH at either stage of the sequence. Two successive injections of mLHRH at 14 and 13 h prior to a C2 ovulation induced premature ovulation in 6 of 11 h. LH and possibly P4, exerts a priming effect on the largest preovulatory follicle to initiate fully potentiated P4 production and secretion.

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