Antiprogesterone RU486 induces dissociation of LH and FSH secretion in the cyclic rat: effect of anti-inhibin serum.

Administration of the antiprogesterone RU486 to 4-day cyclic rats from metoestrus to pro-oestrus increases serum levels of LH while decreasing levels of FSH. If it is assumed that there is only one gonadotrophin-releasing hormone, there is no direct explanation for the decrease in FSH concentrations. The purpose of these experiments was to investigate the effect of RU486 on gonadotrophin secretion in cyclic rats during periods when the secretion of LH and FSH diverges. RU486 blunted the transient increase in FSH concentration on the afternoon of metoestrus and the compensatory ovarian hypertrophy on the next day of oestrus in unilaterally ovariectomized 4-day cyclic rats. In addition, bilateral ovariectomy reversed the effect of RU486 on the basal secretion of FSH. RU486 induced an increase in basal LH concentrations. Since ovarian inhibin decreases the basal release of FSH, and decreases in peripheral inhibin seem to be responsible for the transient rise in FSH during the oestrus cycle, the effect of RU486 on serum levels of LH and FSH during dioestrus in rats injected with a sheep anti-inhibin serum (AIS) were further evaluated. Treatment with AIS increased FSH levels in oil-treated rats without altering the levels of LH. In contrast, the effects of AIS on FSH secretion were blunted in RU486-treated rats. The results suggest that inhibin might be involved in the RU486-induced decrease of FSH secretion in cyclic rats.