THE ACTION OF VARIOUS STEROID HORMONES ON THE OVARY

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Abstract
Desoxycorticosterone acetate (D.C.A.) inhibited the development of the immature rat ovary, and in the adult rat and mouse produced atrophy of the stroma and cystic atresia of follicles. Only in some animals receiving 10 mg. daily did it elicit the formation of enlarged corpora. Progesterone given in daily doses of 2 mg. caused only atrophy of the stroma and inhibition of follicle maturation in the rat. In doses of 10 mg. per day it led to the formation of a single set of "pregnancy-type" corpora lutea still inhibiting follicle maturation and causing stroma atrophy. Testosterone elicited only stroma atrophy and the formation of follicle cysts in doses of 2 mg. per day. Larger doses were required for corpus luteum formation. Estradiol in daily doses of 300 [gamma] produced only very short-lived "pregnancy-type" corpora. If this amt. of estradiol was given in combination with testosterone or progesterone, the life span of the newly formed corpora was prolonged although the dose in which these latter hormones were administered was too small to cause corpus luteum formation by itself. This explains the surprising fact that the ovarian wt. increased when a dose of estrin, which decreases ovarian wt. by itself, was administered simultaneously with a dose of testosterone or progesterone, which given alone would also cause only ovarian atrophy. The maintenance of the large corpora lutea in such cases, overcompensates for the relatively small loss in ovarian wt. resulting from the stroma atrophy.[long dash]The view is expressed that the various steroid hormones exert an indirect gonad-inhibitory action due to the depression of the hypophyseal gonadotrophic hormone production. This common pathway in the mechanism of action may explain why diverse steroids produce the same type of atrophy. The gonad-stimulating effect characteristic of most, if not all, the above mentioned steroids is apparently direct as it is not prevented by hypophysectomy.