Richards J S, Uilenbroek J T, Jonassen J A
Adv Exp Med Biol. 1979;112:11-26. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4684-3474-3_2.
The growth of preovulatory ovarian follicles involves hormonally induced proliferation and differentiation of theca cells and granulosa cells resulting ultimately in an increased ability of follicles to produce estradiol and to respond to the pituitary gonadotropins. The increased ability of follicles to produce estradiol appears to depend on an increased ability of theca cells to produce androgen as well as an increased ability of granulosa cells to aromatize androgens to estradiol. Estradiol in turn, appears to be required for FSH or FSH and LH to stimulate the appearance of functional receptors for LH in granulosa cells. Thus, the intrafollicular hormone estradiol enhances the response of granulosa cells to the gonadotropin. Therefore production of estradiol appears to determine which follicles will gain the mechanisms, including LH receptor, necessary for ovulation and luteinization. Since LH can act to increase its own receptor in the presence of estradiol and low amounts of FSH, it is possible that LH plays a predominant role in the final stages of preovulatory follicular growth both to promote estradiol production stimulation of theca cell androgen production as well as by facilitating an increase in its receptor by acting directly on granulosa cells.
排卵前卵巢卵泡的生长涉及激素诱导的卵泡膜细胞和颗粒细胞的增殖与分化，最终导致卵泡产生雌二醇以及对垂体促性腺激素作出反应的能力增强。卵泡产生雌二醇能力的增强似乎取决于卵泡膜细胞产生雄激素能力的增强以及颗粒细胞将雄激素芳香化为雌二醇能力的增强。反过来，雌二醇似乎是促卵泡激素（FSH）或FSH与促黄体生成素（LH）刺激颗粒细胞中LH功能性受体出现所必需的。因此，卵泡内的激素雌二醇增强了颗粒细胞对促性腺激素的反应。所以，雌二醇的产生似乎决定了哪些卵泡将获得排卵和黄体化所需的机制，包括LH受体。由于在雌二醇和少量FSH存在的情况下，LH能够增加其自身受体，因此LH可能在排卵前卵泡生长的最后阶段发挥主要作用，既促进雌二醇的产生，刺激卵泡膜细胞雄激素的产生，也通过直接作用于颗粒细胞促进其受体增加。
