| Abstrakt: |
Castrated adult female rats with subcutaneous ovarian autografts were killed at 3-day intervals for 30 days after grafting. Plasma estradiol-17β(E2), progesterone (P), FSH, and LH values were determined by radioimmunoassay, and follicular development was evaluated histologically. Eighty-two percent of all animals developed cycling vaginal smears by 7.9 ± 0.5 days after receiving the autografts. Cycle lengths were 4 or 5 days in 76 percent of the animals and 6 days in 20 percent. There was no decrease in the number of follicles>150 μm per graft up to 30 days after grafting. However, there were more follicles>150 μm at proestrus (17.1 ± 1.0) than either metestrus (3.2 ± 1.1) or estrus (3.3 ± 1.1). Corpora lutes (CL) were formed by luteinization of intact follicles. Plasma E2, P, and uterine weight in this model were not different from the intact rat. E2peaked at 18 days after grafting (88 ± 17 pg/ml), and then gradually decreased until Day 30 (23 ± 7 pg/ml). P reached a plateau at 15 days after grafting (41 ± 7 ng/ml) and did not change for the remainder of the experiment. On Days 3, 6, 12 and 15, FSH levels were comparable to castrate values. FSH decreased from Day 15 (1012 ± 178 ng/ml) until Day 27(359 ± 71 ng/ml) but never decreased to diestrous values in the intact rat. The standard errors of the means of LH were large, and LH only decreased significantly below castrate levels on Day 27 (59 ± 14 ng/ml). Analysis of the data according to day of estrous cycle at autopsy, showed that E2, P, and FSH did not vary at proestrus, estrus, or metestrus. However, there was a surge of LH (2393 ± 741 ng/ml) at proestrus.In order to study the effect of the time the graft was placed relative to puberty on graft function, female rats were castrated and received ovarian autografts before (Group 1) or after (Group 2) puberty. Grafts were present for the same length of time in both groups but the grafts in rats in Group 2 were exposed to postpubertal gonadotropins longer than grafts in rats in Group 1 were. There was no difference in E2between Groups 1 and 2 (35.7 ± 3.6 vs. 33.1 ± 4.1 pg/ml), but P was decreased in Group 2 (28.3 ± 1.6 vs. 15.2 ± 2.0 ng/ml).These data show that ovarian autografts in castrated female rats function like intact, in situovaries in many respects. The grafts produce E2and P which suppress pituitary gonadotropins below castrate levels. In addition, the follicles within the grafts develop and produce CL. |
