[Reception of progesterone and its biological action in the uterus of neonatally androgenized rats].

The relationship of the level of uterine progesterone receptors and plasma concentration of female sex steroids with the biological effect of progesterone (its effect on collagen content and the number of uterine endometrial glands) was studied in neonatally androgenized female rats aged 90-120 days. In these animals the level of progesterone receptors in the uterine cytosol fraction was raised, in the nuclear fraction it was lowered. Plasma concentration values of estradiol and progesterone in such animals did not differ from those of intact female rats. The ability of estradiol to induce the synthesis of uterine progesterone receptors was less noticeable in androgen sterile animals. The sensitivity of the uterus to progesterone in such animals was lowered either. Progesterone doses causing a significant decrease in the concentration of progesterone receptors in cytosol and in uterine tissue collagen content, proved to be ineffective for androgen sterile female rats. Disturbance of progesterone reception and a related decrease in the sensitivity of the uterus of androgen sterile animals to this hormone can be probably determined by an irreversible androgen effect on the target cell genome in the early neonatal period, not depending on the peculiarities of hormonal regulation in adult rats.