Production rate, metabolic clearance rate and blood concentration of progesterone in conscious and anaesthetized pregnant rats

Abstract

ABSTRACT Both production rate and metabolic clearance rate (MCR) of progesterone may vary rapidly and so effect short-term changes in blood concentration of the hormone. Here, a constant infusion and sampling technique was used to estimate these three characteristics of progesterone metabolism in seven conscious and ten anaesthetized rats on day 16 of pregnancy. After steady state was achieved, four samples were collected during a 1-h period from each rat. Mean values for production rate and MCR of progesterone in conscious rats were 14·0 ±1·4 μmol/day and 63·2 ± 6·2 litres/day respectively. Both values were substantially reduced in anaesthetized rats (8.6 ±0·8 μmol/ day and 39·4± 3·4 litres/day respectively) and so blood concentration was unchanged. The production rate was positively related to the total mass of luteal tissue (common correlation coefficient, r = 0·61, P <0·05). There were no consistent changes in the three characteristics with time but variation within rats was high. The estimated coefficients of variation for production rate, MCR and blood concentration within rats were 26, 18 and 17% in conscious and 27, 20 and 23% in anaesthetized rats respectively. Short-term changes in production rate and MCR generally were in the same direction (P <0·05). This reduced variation in blood concentration which would otherwise have occurred if production rate and MCR were unrelated. The pregnant rat is clearly capable of rapid shifts in production rate, MCR and blood concentration of progesterone and the positive relationship between production rate and MCR has a homeostatic effect on blood concentration. J. Endocr. (1984) 102, 357–363