title: Effect of A-nor steroids and oestradiol on progesterone production by human luteal cells.
abstract: Cell suspensions were prepared from human corpora lutea obtained during the mid-luteal phase. Progesterone production was assessed after short-term incubation of luteal cell suspensions. Luteal cells were very sensitive to hCG, the concentration required for 50% maximum response being 0.01 i.u./ml, and the response was 5 times higher than the basal production. Oestradiol (1-100 microM) induced a significant dose-related decrease in both basal and hCG-stimulated progesterone production. The A-nor steroidal compounds anordrin and AF-45 reduced hCG-stimulated progesterone production only at the high concentration of 100 microM. The ED50 values were approximately 3 microM, 75 microM and 100 microM for oestradiol, AF-45 and anordrin respectively. Anordrin showed no significant effects on basal progesterone production. In addition, oestradiol markedly inhibited the activity of 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in luteal cells, expressed by the conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone, but the inhibitory effects of anordrin and AF-45 were negligible or relatively low. The effects of anordrin and AF-45 were different from those of oestradiol on progesterone production by human luteal cells in vitro, indicating that neither substance is likely to be a useful luteolytic agent in women.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research, China.
authors.forename: H Z
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: W X
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Z D
authors.initials: ZD
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Y F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008186:Luteolytic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009635:Norandrostanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D008186:Luteolytic Agents; D009635:Norandrostanes; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; C023615:anordiol; C010855:anordrin