Effect of prostaglandin D2 on the release of luteinizing hormone and prolactin in castrated and intact male rats.

One, 5 or 20 micrograms of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) was infused into a lateral ventricle of the brain of anaesthetized intact or castrated male rats, and the response of luteinizing hormone (LH) and prolactin (Prl) was determined. PGD2 stimulated the release of LH in both groups of rats. The greatest LH-response was observed in the castrated rats, where the lowest dose of PGD2 (1 microgram) caused the greatest LH response. This dose was ineffective in the non-castrated animals. PGD2 had no effect on the release of Prl neither in intact nor in orchidectomized rats. It is concluded that PGD2 is capable of stimulating the release of LH in male rats and that the stimulating effect is intensified by removal of the gonadal negative feedback effect on the hypothalamo-pituitary unit.