title: Quantitative control of oxytocin-induced PGF2 alpha release by progesterone and oestradiol in ewes.
abstract: The effect of oestradiol and progesterone concentrations on the uterine PGF2 alpha response to oxytocin was investigated by measuring 13,14-dihydro-15-keto PGF2 alpha (PGFM) secretion. One week after ovariectomy, 27 ewes were administered progestagen for 10 days followed by oestradiol for 2 days. Day 0 was designated as the time of the last 'oestrous' oestradiol injection. Six groups of ewes (n = 4) were then treated for 12 days with a high or low dose of progesterone (36 or 12 mg day-1) either alone or with a high or low dose of oestradiol (36 or 12 micrograms day-1) administered (in 1 ml of corn oil by i.m. injection, at intervals of 8 h) in a pattern designed to simulate a natural oestrous cycle profile. A control group (n = 3) was given corn oil alone. Ewes were treated with 1 microgram oxytocin (i.v.) on days 4, 8 and 12 of the simulated cycle and plasma was collected for assay of PGFM. An oxytocin-induced PGFM response occurred only on day 12, when the response was suppressed by high doses of progesterone and stimulated by high oestradiol doses. There was a significant effect of progesterone (P < 0.05) and a highly significant effect of oestradiol (P < 0.01) on the pattern of PGFM release in response to oxytocin. Low progesterone/high oestradiol stimulated the largest and most sustained increase in PGFM following oxytocin. There was a significant relationship between the oestradiol:progesterone ratio and the mean PGFM response on day 12 (P < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: AFRC Research Group on Hormones and Farm Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Nottingham, Leics, UK.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Beard
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Lamming
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010052:Ovariectomy; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012756:Sheep; D013997:Time Factors; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D010121:Oxytocin; D015237:Dinoprost