Production of inhibin bioactivity by human granulosa-lutein cells: stimulation by LH and testosterone in vitro.
Granulosa-lutein cells from human preovulatory ovarian follicles were cultured for up to 12 days to determine their capacity for production of inhibin in vitro. Using a highly sensitive sheep pituitary cell bioassay we observed time-related changes in basal inhibin production, maximal during the first 4 days of culture (48 +/- 15 units/million cells every 2 days, means +/- S.E.M.; n = 5 patients) falling to values five times lower by day 12. After 4-6 days of culture in the presence of human LH (hLH) inhibin production was enhanced in proportion to the hLH dose (maximum five fold at 10 ng/ml); hFSH over the same dose-range had no effect. Progesterone production in response to hLH followed a similar pattern to that of inhibin and was also unresponsive to hFSH. In the absence of exogenous aromatase substrate, basal and gonadotrophin-stimulated oestradiol production was negligible after the first 4 days. Addition of testosterone (1 mumol/l) to the culture medium increased oestrogen formation several hundred-fold with no effect on progesterone production. Inhibin production was also increased by 50-100% in the presence of testosterone. These results demonstrate that LH and testosterone stimulate the production of inhibin by granulosa-lutein cells in vitro. It is suggested that inhibin production occurs under hormonal control in the corpus luteum as well as in the preovulatory follicle in the human ovary.
D001681:Biological Assay; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003338:Corpus Luteum / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007265:Inhibins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008184:Luteal Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology*
D013739:Testosterone; D007265:Inhibins; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone