The effects of cocaine on basal and human chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated ovarian steroid hormones in female rhesus monkeys

Cocaine stimulates gonadotropin (luteinizing hormone) release from the ante rior pituitary in humans and in rhesus monkeys, but its acute effects on ov arian steroid hormones are unknown. The acute effects of cocaine and placeb o on estradiol and progesterone were studied in 13 drug-naive female rhesus monkeys during the mid-follicular (days 8-10) and the mid-luteal (days 21- 23) phases of the menstrual cycle. Each monkey was her own control under co caine and placebo conditions, Samples for ovarian steroid hormone analysis were collected before and at 15-min intervals for 300 min after cocaine or placebo administration. In follicular phase females, estradiol levels incre ased significantly within 15 min after cocaine (0.8 mg/kg i.v.) administrat ion (P < .008) but did not change after placebo administration. Estradiol r emained significantly above baseline for 45 min (P < .002-0.02). In contras t, in mid-luteal phase females, estradiol did not change after cocaine or p lacebo administration. Basal progesterone levels did not change after cocai ne or placebo administration in either mid-follicular or mid-luteal phase f emales. After hCG (500 I.U. i.m.) was administered to midluteal phase femal es, cocaine (0.4 and 0.8 mg/kg i.v.) and placebo administration did not inc rease or decrease estradiol or progesterone. One implication of these findi ngs is that cocaine-induced increases in follicular phase estradiol levels could disrupt folliculogenesis and contribute to the menstrual cycle abnorm alities observed during chronic cocaine self-administration.