STUDIES WITH ANTISERA TO LUTEINIZING HORMONE IN VIVO AND IN VITRO ON LUTEAL STEROIDOGENESIS AND ENZYME REGULATION OF CHOLESTERYL ESTER TURNOVER IN RATS

Abstract

SUMMARY The effect of antiserum to luteinizing hormone (LH) on progesterone and 20α-dihydroprogesterone output and on the enzymes regulating luteal cholesteryl ester turnover was measured in pseudopregnant rats to provide information on the role of LH in regulating luteal function. Progesterone synthesis was reduced when antiserum was added directly to an incubation system of luteinized ovarian slices from animals which had received intravenous saline or 10 μg LH. Steroidogenesis was stimulated in vitro when LH was previously given in vivo, and also on incubating luteinized ovaries from animals treated with antiserum. Treatment in vivo with antiserum alone, however, increased progesterone and 20α-dihydroprogesterone synthesis in vitro but this appeared to be an effect of incubation since in a separate experiment peripheral serum levels of both progesterone and 20α-dihydroprogesterone were reduced after antiserum treatment. Ovarian levels of cholesteryl ester and cholesterol were increased after antiserum treatment in vivo. The level of ovarian cholesteryl esterase was reduced to only 10% of the control level 24 h after antiserum treatment and in this period the level of cholesteryl ester synthetase increased 1·5 times. From these results LH appears to play a direct role in regulating the activity of enzymes controlling cholesteryl ester turnover and thereby regulates the availability of cholesterol for conversion to steroids.