Central effect of rete testis fluid, inhibin 32K, and follicular fluid on plasma gonadotropin concentrations in sheep: inhibin is not the rete testis fluid protein able to suppress luteinizing hormone pulses.

We have previously shown that peripheral administration of rete testis fluid (RTF) proteins was able to suppress LH pulses through the suppression of LHRH pulses. This activity was named "LHRH Statin." The aims of the present work were to analyze LH inhibition after an intracerebroventricular injection of RTF and to determine whether inhibin is the factor responsible for this inhibition. Castrated rams (experiment 1) or ewes (experiment 2) received an intracerebroventricular injection of RTF, purified bovine inhibin 32K, bovine follicular fluid, or human serum albumin as control. Animals were bled every 15 min for 5 h before injection and for 7 h after injection. LH mean levels were significantly lowered (p < 0.01) only in the RFT-treated groups. FSH levels were not affected irrespective of group, source, or dose of inhibin. These experiments show first, that protein(s) present in ovine RTF can suppress LH secretion in sheep; second, that bovine follicular fluid or purified bovine inhibin 32K have no effect on LH secretion. Furthermore, the results suggest that centrally administered inhibin has no effect on FSH secretion under our experimental conditions. Together, these experiments clearly demonstrate that inhibin 32K does not exert any "LHRH statin" activity.