Luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin fragment the migrating myoelectric complex in rat small intestine.

We hypothesized that sex hormones may affect motility disorders because these diseases occur more often in women than in men, and symptoms often occur or worsen after ovulation. Luteinizing hormone (LH) is predominantly secreted by the anterior pituitary midway through the menstrual cycle; it results in the development of the corpus luteum. LH levels also increase after bilateral gonadectomy. LH and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) bind to the same receptor, but rats lack hCG. To assess how LH and hCG influence myoelectric activity of the small intestine and to test the specificity of the LH receptor, we implanted electrodes on the jejunum of female rats. LH (0.1 or 0.5 NIH units) was administered intraperitoneally to intact and gonadectomized rats and 0.5 NIH units to rats that had been both hypophysectomized and gonadectomized; intact animals were treated with 100 units USP of hCG. Recordings were made with the rats in fasted and in fed states, and their intestinal motility was analysed. The most striking effects of LH, hypophysectomy, and hCG were the same: phase III of the migrating myoelectric complex was markedly fragmented and its duration lengthened (P < 0.0001). Gonadectomy alone and gonadectomy with hypophysectomy also increased fragmentation and phase III duration (P < 0.01 or better). LH receptors respond similarly to LH and hCG, and both hormones alter myoelectric activity of the rat small intestine in comparable ways.