Responses of plasma "estradiol" and plasma LH to ovariectomy, ovariectomy plus adrenalectomy, and estrogen injection at various ages.

Plasma LH and "estradiol" were measured by radioimmunoassay in female rats 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 80 days of age, and the changes in these hormone levels 24 h after ovariectomy, ovariectomy plus adrenalectomy, and estrogen injection were determined. Plasma "estradiol" was high at 5 days of age; it increased further to a peak at 15 days of age, and declined thereafter to the low levels seen in adult rats. At each age, plasma "estradiol" declined about 50% 24 h after ovariectomy, whereas it fell to undetectable levels 24 h after ovariectomy plus adrenalectomy at 20 and 80 days of age. Plasma LH did not increase 24 h following ovariectomy at 5 days of age, but it did at all ages thereafter. The peak increase occurred 24 h after ovariectomy at 15 days of age, and the increment was progressively smaller at older ages. Ovariectomy plus adrenalectomy did not cause a significantly greater increase in plasma LH than ovariectomy alone. Injection of estradiol caused a decrease in plasms LH at all ages except in the animals ovariectomized at 5 days of age. The greatest decrease was seen in animals ovariectomized at 15 days of age, with a progressively smaller negative feedback response as age increased. In addition to providing systematic data on changes in the negative feedback effect of estradiol at various ages, the results indicate that, especially in immature animals, there is a circulating substance which cross-reacts with antibodies to estradiol but which does not appear to be a biologically-active estrogen. It does not come from the ovaries and disappears from the circulation if the adrenals as well as the ovaries are removed.