The purine adenosine amplifies the response to gonadotropins and inhibits prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) suppression of gonadotropin stimulation of bovine luteal cells in vitro.

Dispersed bovine luteal cells collected on day 7 or 13 postestrus were incubated in vitro with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) or prostaglandins E1 or E2 (PGE1; PGE2) in the presence or absence of adenosine, dipyridamole and/or prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha). Secretion of progesterone by day 7 or 13 bovine luteal cells was increased by hCG, PGE1 or PGE2 which was increased further when co-incubated with adenosine (p less than 0.05). Adenosine alone increased secretion of progesterone by day 7 luteal cells (p less than 0.05) but not by day 13 luteal cells (p greater than 0.05). PGF2 alpha inhibited the gonadotropic response to hCG, PGE1 or PGE2 (p less than 0.05) which was reduced by adenosine (p less than 0.05) by day 7 or 13 bovine luteal cell suspensions. Dipyridamole reduced the adenosine-facilitated response to hCG, PGE1 or PGE2 by day 7 or 13 luteal cell suspensions (p less than 0.05). It is concluded that adenosine enhances the steroidogenic response by functional bovine luteal cells to hCG, PGE1 or PGE2 and that adenosine reduces the luteolytic response to PGF2 alpha by gonadotropin-stimulated bovine luteal cells in vitro.