Specific 3H-PGE1 binding sites in rat ovary in estrous cycle and pregnancy.

Stimulation of cAMP synthesis by prostaglandins E series in the rat ovary is consistent with the presence of a prostaglandin receptor in this tissue. Prostaglandin binding sites with specificity for PGE1 in vitro incubation systems have been demonstrated in rat ovary slices and corpora lutea. The binding of 3H-PGE1 was progressively inhibited with increasing amounts of unlabelled PGE1 and PGE2. PGF2alpha inhibitory effect was markedly smaller than that of PGE. 3H-PGE1 binding to the ovary was higher in 3-day-old rats than in 5-day-old and adult animals, when the highest binding was present in estrus. The specific binding of 3H-PGE1 to rat corpora lutea (CL) decreased on days 11 and 13 of pregnancy and then gradually returned to the level found on day 1 during the second half of gestation. This binding of labelled prostaglandin during pregnancy has been studied in relation to the PGE1 stimulation of cAMP synthesis in rat corpora lutea, but no consistent changes were observed in responsiveness.