Ga. Schuiling et al., FSH inhibits the augmentation by oestradiol of the pituitary responsiveness to GnRH in the female rat, HUM REPR, 14(1), 1999, pp. 21-26
The effect of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment on the pituitary
response to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was studied in rats in
various reproductive conditions. A 3-day treatment of cycling rats with FSH
(Metrodin(R); 10 IU/injection) lowered the spontaneous pre-ovulatory LH-su
rge and suppressed the pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) response to GnRH.
FSH also suppressed the LH response of pseudopregnant (PSP) rats on day 8
of pseudopregnancy, but not that of day-8 PSP rats which had been ovariecto
mized on day 4 (OVX-PSP rats). GnRH induced self priming in cycling, PSP an
d OVX-PSP rats. Oestradiol strongly augmented the pituitary LH-response to
GnRH injection in PSP and OVX-PSP rats, but not in cycling rats; probably b
ecause in these latter animals the LH response to GnRH was already augmente
d by endogenous oestradiol. FSH suppressed the LH response to GnRH in oestr
adiol-treated PSP and cycling rats; in these latter rats the suppression of
the LH response was as strong as that in cycling rats not treated with oes
tradiol. FSH did not suppress the LH response of oestradiol-treated OVX-PSP
rats. The effect of FSH was not associated with changes in plasma oestradi
ol and progesterone concentrations. Analysis of the data revealed that FSH
specifically suppressed the augmentative effect of oestradiol, but did not
affect the GnRH-self priming effect. It is concluded that under the influen
ce of FSH, the ovaries produce a factor which suppresses the augmentative e
ffect of oestradiol on the GnRH-induced LH response of the pituitary gland.
It is suggested that this effect of FSH underlies the suppression of the s
pontaneous LH-surges of FSH-treated cycling rats. As the present putative '
oestrogen-antagonizing factor' did not suppress the GnRH-self priming effec
t, it is suggested that this factor is not identical to gonadotrophin surge
inhibiting factor.