Influence of prostaglandin E2 on proteoglycan synthesis in the human ovarian follicle wall.

The effect of prostaglandin (PG) E2 on the incorporation of 3H-glucosamine in the human follicular wall was investigated in vitro. Follicles were obtained from women undergoing sterilization via minilaparotomy. Tissue pieces of the follicular wall were incubated in the presence of PGE2 and 3H-glucosamine and the tissue-bound radioactivity was determined. PGE2 induced a significant increase of radiolabelling in the apex of the mature follicle wall but did not significantly affect the incorporation in other parts of the wall, nor in the wall of less developed follicles. The incorporation of glucosamine, a precursor of glucosaminoglycans, is regarded to reflect the synthesis of proteoglycans. The demonstrated increase in the incorporation of 3H-glucosamine in the apical wall of the mature follicle in response to PGE2 indicates that PG-mediated stimulation of proteoglycan synthesis is of importance for follicular rupture.