Differential suppression of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone secretion in vivo by a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist.

Because of some indication that FSH secretion is less dependent than LH secretion on GnRH in vivo, we performed experiments to examine the effects of a GnRH antagonist (antag) on LH and FSH secretion. We first showed that pituitary cells superfused with GnRH showed a similar pattern of suppressed secretion of both LH and FSH in response to addition of antag. In contrast, antag administration to ovariectomized rats had differing effects on LH and FSH secretion. Serum LH was suppressed in a dose-dependent fashion by 2 h (20-50% of control values). Recovery from the lower doses of antag was seen by 12 h, but the two highest doses maintained serum LH levels at 10% of control values for 72 h. In contrast, the effect on serum FSH was not manifested until 12 h. FSH was maximally decreased only to 40-60% of control values. The two highest doses maintained this effect for 72 h. These results reinforce previous suggestions that FSH secretion in vivo may occur independently of acute changes in GnRH secretion, and may have an GnRH-independent component.