title: Influence of gonadotrophins on early follicle cell development and early oocyte growth in the immature rat.
abstract: Ovaries of neonatal rats were transplanted on the day after birth into ovariectomized (high gonadotrophin levels) or ovariectomized-hypophysectomized adult female rats (extremely low gonadotrophin levels). Although transplantation caused a reduction of the number of growing follicles in all transplants, it did not seem to induce a clearly abnormal course of follicle development. After 15 days of development, the hormone-rich transplants contained a greater number of follicles larger than type 4 and a smaller number of oocytes with diameters less than 21 micrometers, than did the hormone-poor transplants. In the transplants with high hormone levels, the smallest follicles (types 2--3a) showed advanced transition of flattened into cuboidal follicle cells and oocyte growth. It is concluded that in these experimental conditions gonadotrophins, presumably especially FSH, seem to have a stimulatory effect on early follicle cell development and early oocyte growth.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002369:Castration; D002452:Cell Count; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D006062:Gonadotropins / Q000502:physiology*; D007016:Hypophysectomy; D009865:Oocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development*; D010053:Ovary / Q000637:transplantation; D010063:Ovum / Q000254:growth & development*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D006062:Gonadotropins; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone