The Effect of Progesterone and Progestational Antiandrogen Cyproterone Acetate on the Ovaries and the Adrenal Glands of Neonatally Androgenised Rats

Summary

The influence of the graded doses of progesterone and progestational antiandrogen, cyproterone acetate, is studied on the vaginal cycles, follicular dynamics and steroidogenic potential of the ovaries and adrenal glands in neonatally androgenised rats with persistent vaginal estrous. Of the different doses of progesterone, 0.5 mg progesterone/day is found to reinstate more or less normal vaginal cycles. None of the doses of progesterone and CPA induced ovulation in cystic ovaries and hence the vaginal cycles thus reinstated are not the reflection of ovarian cycles and the diestrous smear is not an indication of functional CL in these ovaries.

The treatment of progesterone and CPA brought about degenerative changes in the antral follicles above stage IV and in cystic type I follicles. It mobilised the growth of type 0 follicles up to the early antral stage of type III, thereby indicating the presence of the negative feedback of progestational steroids on FSH secretion in PVE rats. The minimum change in the activity of carbohydrate metabolising enzymes and the steroid dehydrogenases in the ovaries subsequent to the treatment with especially the higher doses of progesterone, and CPA suggests the absence of any impact on LH secretion, albeit indirect.

There was a marked reduction in the steroidogenic potential in the adrenal glands of the CPA treated rats; however, it did not show any positive impact: on the structure of the polycystic ovary.

Key words

Neonatal androgenisation - Polycystic ovary - Adrenal gland - Progesterone - Cyproterone acetate