title: The ovarian renin-angiotensin system: renin-like activity and angiotensin II/III immunoreactivity in gonadotropin-stimulated and unstimulated human follicular fluid.
abstract: Renin-like activity and angiotensin II/III immunoreactivity in follicular fluids from 34 women stimulated with human menopausal gonadotropin and human chorionic gonadotropin (56.8 +/- 6.5 ng angiotensin I per milliliter per hour and 187 +/- 21 pg/ml [mean +/- SEM], respectively) were much higher (p less than 0.001) than in follicular fluids from 12 unstimulated preovulatory women (1.41 +/- 0.37 ng angiotensin I per milliliter per hour and 58.5 +/- 13.7 pg/ml) and in simultaneously drawn plasma (4.47 +/- 0.73 ng angiotensin I per milliliter per hour and 31.8 +/- 11.6 pg/ml, respectively; p less than 0.001). Plasma renin-like activity and angiotensin II/III immunoreactivity in stimulated cycles did not differ from unstimulated cycles. Follicular fluid angiotensin II/III immunoreactivity correlated significantly with follicular fluid renin-like activity in stimulated (r = 0.72; p less than 0.01) and in unstimulated samples (r = 0.86; p less than 0.01). Significant correlation was found also between follicular fluid renin-like activity and estradiol. A sharp preovulatory rise of renin-like activity and angiotensin II/III immunoreactivity was noted in unstimulated follicular fluid samples collected on cycle days 13 and 14 compared to days 9 through 12 (p less than 0.01). The findings that follicular fluid renin-like activity and angiotensin II/III immunoreactivity are correlated, and that gonadotropins have a stimulatory effect on follicular fluid concentrations support our concept of a physiologic intrinsic ovarian renin-angiotensin system.
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000032:analysis*; D000805:Angiotensin III / Q000032:analysis*; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008596:Menotropins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010053:Ovary / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012083:Renin / Q000032:analysis*; D012084:Renin-Angiotensin System / Q000187:drug effects*; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D000804:Angiotensin II; D000805:Angiotensin III; D004958:Estradiol; D008596:Menotropins; D012083:Renin