Inhibition by indomethacin of the already accelerated secretion of inhibin and estradiol in equine chorionic gonadotropin-primed immature female rats.

In immature female rats, the secretion of ovarian inhibin and estradiol is greatly accelerated by equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) treatment. The present study has been carried out to determine whether or not the levels of the two hormones are inhibited by a single s.c.-injection of indomethacin (INDO) 24 h after eCG administration. The levels of ovarian hormones and gonadotropins were measured by double-antibody radioimmunoassay using 125I-labeled radioligands. The serum levels of inhibin and estradiol were considerably inhibited within 24 and 12 h, respectively, after INDO injection. In addition, the serum levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) after INDO injection remained lower than the basal levels before eCG treatment. The luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were significantly reduced within 12 h after INDO treatment. The results demonstrate that the levels of inhibin and estradiol, even in the situation where the production of both hormones is already accelerated by eCG pretreatment, are suppressed by an inhibitor of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, suggesting that locally produced PGs may play a role in the regulation of the production of both hormones in the ovary.