Effects of indomethacin on the selective release of follicle-stimulating hormone during the period of ovulation in the rat.

To determine whether indomethacin, a potent inhibitor of prostaglandins endoperoxide synthetase, affects the selective follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) surge during the period of ovulation, the compound was administered intravenously (i.v.), concurrent with 10 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), to diestrous female rats at 16:00 hr. Indomethacin inhibited the number of ovulations in a dose-dependent manner, and treatment with 500 micrograms indomethacin reduced number of oocytes in the ampullae most effectively without enteric lesions. In the histological observation, oocytes that had began to mature were found not only in unruptured luteinized follicles but also in ovarian interstitium beneath ruptured luteinized follicle. Despite the inhibitory effects of indomethacin on ovulation, peri-ovulatory FSH and progesterone surges occurred in comparable levels and duration to vehicle-treated animals. These results indicate that indomethacin-induced inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis does not affect the selective release of FSH during the peri-ovulatory period.