STEROL SYNTHESIS IN RATS WITH EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED POLYCYSTIC OVARIES

Abstract

SUMMARY Immature female rats were fed thiouracil for 30 days and injected with 10 i.u. human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) for the last 20 days. In thiouracil-fed animals, HCG produced large ovaries containing follicular cysts. These ovaries showed a subnormal concentration of cholesterol but both a normal total content and normal incorporation of [1-14C]acetate into digitonin-precipitable-sterols. Liver and serum cholesterol concentrations were reduced, but in vivo, 4 hr. incorporation of acetate into sterols was doubled suggesting either an acceleration of cholesterol turnover or delayed utilization of sterol precursors of cholesterol. HCG also reduced ovarian cholesterol concentration in euthyroid animals but total organ content and incorporation of [14C]acetate were not altered, nor were liver and serum cholesterol affected. Since the effect of induced ovarian cysts on sterol metabolism cannot be accounted for by known effects of thyroid or gonadal hormones it is suggested that influences of steroid hormones on lipid metabolism may be greatly modified in thyroid deficiency.