The antiprogesterone steroid RU-486 does not impair gonadotropin-stimulated luteal adenylyl cyclase activity or gonadotropin release by pituitary cells.

Administration of the antiprogesterone synthetic steroid RU-486 (17 beta-hydroxy-11 beta-[4-dimethylaminophenyl-1]-17 alpha-[prop-l-ynyl]-estra-4,9-dien-3-one) in human and non-human primates induces menstruation and is promising as a new approach to fertility control. To explore the sites of action of RU-486, we investigated in this study the effects of RU-486 upon gonadotropin-stimulable adenylyl cyclase in membrane preparations obtained from human corpus luteum and upon LH and FSH release by a dispersed rat anterior pituitary cell culture. In the presence of a wide range of concentrations (10(-10) to 10(-6) M), RU-486 failed to alter basal or hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activities under conditions allowing either maximal or submaximal hormonal activation. Additionally, enzyme stimulation by GMP-P(NH)P (100 microM), NaF (10 mM) or forskolin (100 microM) was not affected by a high concentration (10(-6) M) of RU-486. These data indicate that RU-486 does not affect gonadotropin receptor binding nor does it interfere with cAMP generation. It is unlikely, therefore, that the compound may modulate human luteal function through changes in plasma membrane lipid mobility or modifications of reactions occurring in plasma membranes as suggested for other steroids in several membrane systems. The present observations are compatible with previously published in vivo studies suggesting that RU-486 activity does not involve a direct antigonadotropic effect at the primate corpus luteum level. We also found that RU-486 (10(-12) to 10(-7) M) did not alter the basal release of gonadotropins by the pituitary cells, nor did the compound impair the response of these cells to maximally or submaximally effective concentrations of LHRH. Thus, these data suggest that the anti-reproductive actions of RU-486 involve no direct effect upon pituitary function. Taken together, these findings support the concept that RU-486 exerts its effects on the luteal phase exclusively by a local action upon the endometrium.