Role of serotonin in the regulation of ovulation. Evidence from pharmacological studies.

Using two tests in intact adult rats, it has been found that a high positive correlation exists (p less than 0.005) between the ovulation inhibiting and the serotonin antagonistic activities measured in vivo of five tricyclic compounds and ten ergot derivatives. In these chemically different classes of compounds, certain structural modifications induced similar activity changes in both tests. These pharmacological results support the view that serotonin plays an essential, apparently facilitatory role in the central mechanisms controlling ovulation in the rat.