Adrenalectomy, ovarian HCG-binding and the onset of female puberty in the rat.

The delay of puberty onset in female rats adrenalectomized before the 25th day of age is due neither to changes in the number of ovarian HCG-receptors nor to an altered hormone affinity of these receptors. It is assumed that glucocorticoids act on an intracellular level in the ovarian cells, possibly by alterations of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphodiesterase activity.