Gonadotropin secretion during prolonged hyperprolactinemia: basal secretion and the stimulatory feedback effect of estrogen.

Inoculation of cyclic female rats with the prolactin (Prl)/growth hormone-secreting pituitary tumor, MtT.W15, resulted in a cessation of estrous cyclicity within 5--10 days. Associated with this acyclicity was a persistently low serum concentration of estradiol and marked increases in both circulating Prl and progesterone. At Day 26 of acyclicity, basal serum luteinizing hormone (LH) values measured in samples taken every 20 min from 0900--1100 h were significantly reduced when compared to cyclic, nontumor animals on diestrus Day 2. There was no difference in basal follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) concentrations. In a separate group of acyclic, tumor-bearing females 42--56 days after transplantation, a single s.c. injection of 20 micrograms estradiol benzoate (EB) at 1030 h elicited significant increases in both serum LH and FSH values between 1700 and 1830 h on the next day. The magnitude of the LH surge was reduced and that of FSH was increased in tumor-bearing animals when compared to cyclic, nontumor females given a similar EB injection on diestrus Day 1. These results demonstrate that chronic hyperprolactinemia is associated with inhibition of basal LH secretion and ovarian estrogen production and an increase in circulating progesterone concentrations. Nevertheless, the stimulatory feedback effects of estrogen on LH and FSH release are still present and functioning in acyclic female rats under chronically hyperprolactinemic conditions. These data suggest that the cessation of regular ovulatory cycles associated with hyperprolactinemia may be due to a deficiency of LH and/or estrogen secretion, but not to a lack of central nervous system response to the stimulatory feedback action of estrogen.