Evidence for existence of immunoglobulins that block ovarian granulosa cell growth in vitro. A putative role in resistant ovary syndrome?

The sera of 26 patients with premature ovarian failure were examined in order to detect immunoglobulin-G (IgGs) that can block FSH-induced in vitro granulosa cell DNA synthesis via, a Feulgen cytochemical bioassay system. The IgGs of four patients with polycystic ovary-like disease, five postmenopausal women, and four eumenorrheic women served as controls. Ovarian growth blocking IgGs were found in 21 of the 26 premature ovarian failure (POF) cases. The few cases characterized by the absence of follicles (streak ovaries) and the controls were negative. The ovarian blocking IgGs were far more prevalent in the POF cases than anti-cytoplasmic ovarian antibodies detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay (only one of the 26 POF patients was positive). Our data hence confirm earlier expressed views that immune mechanisms are involved in a high proportion of patients with POF.