The Effect of Androstenedione on Progesterone Accumulation in Cultures of Bovine Ovarian Follicles

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Abstract
To determine the maturational changes leading to adrenocortical self-sufficiency in baboon neonates, fetal adrenal growth and cortisol (F) production, in vitro, from pregnenolone (P5), progesterone (P4) and 11-deoxycortisol (S) were examined at various times during gestation. Adrenal weight of animals delivered prematurely (100-179 days gestation, term = 184) by cesarean section (N = 17) or spontaneously (N = 13) at term (181 ± 4 days, X ± SE), tripled during the second half of gestation (r = 0.82; P0.017X) and resulted primarily from growth of cortical fetal zone tissue. F production from [3H]P5, [3H]P4 or [3H]S (15 µCi, 1Oµg) by 50 mg homogenized tissue from selected glands incubated with NADPH was determined following extraction, and purification of [3H]F. Results were combined from animals delivered by cesarean section 84 to 54 days (N = 4), or 24 to 17 days prior to term (N = 3) and from neonates 1 day old (N = 3) or 5 and 12 days old (N = 2). F production from S (68.2 percent ± 13.1 percent, X ± SE) and P4 (42.4 percent ± 2.9 percent) either remained constant or decreased during the study period, while that from P5 (6.9 percent ± 1.9 percent) increased (P4 (46-77 nmole/2 adrenals) remained constant whereas that from P5 increased (P5 for F synthesis towards term. These changes may be important in ensuring adrenocortical self-sufficiency when, after delivery, placental P4 is no longer available for F production.