Utilizing paper and gas\p=m-\liquid chromatography, the pattern of steroid secretion by cultures of equine granulosa, thecal and stromal cells has been studied.Granulosa cell cultures secreted primarily progesterone and 20\g=a\-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one. A granulosa cell culture of 700,000 cells harvested from two large vascular follicles of a mare in oestrus secreted the following amounts of steroid from days 0 to 6 of culture: 561 \g=m\g.progesterone, 68 \g=m\g.20\g=a\-hydroxypregn-4-en-3-one, 5\m=.\3 \ g = m \ g . 17-hydroxyprogesterone, 1 \ g=m\ g. androstenedione, 0\m=.\12 \ g=m\ g. dehydroepiandrosterone and 2\m=.\7 \g=m\g. oestradiol.Thecal tissue harvested from the same follicles secreted 29, 3\m=.\0,1\m=.\8,1\ m=. \ 4, 1\m=.\1and 0\m=.\99 \ g=m\ g. , respectively, of the same steroids. All these steroids originated from endogenous precursors or from acetate or cholesterol in the tissue culture medium which contained 15% horse serum, 30% medium '199' and 55% Hanks's solution.Cultures of granulosa cells harvested from two large vascular follicles of a mare in early oestrus secreted progesterone at a constant rate of 35 pg./cell/ day between days 6 and 34 of culture, thus demonstrating that these cells do not dedifferentiate in culture. The secretion of 20\g=a\-hydroxypregn-4-en\x=req-\ 3-one relative to progesterone increased from days 3 to 6 and remained constant from days 6 to 15.
Progesterone and 20\g=a\-dihydroprogesterone were measured in the ovarian venous blood of rats in early pro-oestrus, late dioestrus, day 5 of pseudopregnancy, and in androgen-treated animals with persistent oestrus. Little progesterone was secreted in early pro-oestrus or persistent oestrus (0\m=.\1\ g=m\ g. / hr.), but the secretion rose in dioestrus (2\ m=. \ 1\g=m\g./hr.) and in pseudopregnancy (7 \g=m\g./hr.). The 20\g=a\-dihydroprogesterone secretion was low in the persistent oestrous group; in all the other groups it was 1\m=.\5\p=n-\3 \g=m\g./hr. Treatment with luteinizing hormone increased progesterone secretion within 30 min. in pro-oestrus and persistent oestrus, had no significant effect in dioestrus, and depressed it markedly in pseudopregnancy. It appeared to have no significant effect on 20\g=a\-dihydroprogesterone secretion except during pseudopregnancy, when it was depressed.Treatment with prolactin produced no effect within 30 min.in pro-oestrous, dioestrous or pseudopregnant animals.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.