Adrenergic intracerebroventricular stimulation affects progesterone concentration in the ovarian vein of the rat: participation of the superior ovarian nerve

The present study investigates the acute consequences of central adrenergic stimulation on the release of steroids from the ovary. The influence of the superior ovarian nerve (SON) and the relationship between the neural effect and peripheral LH levels were also examined. The intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of 5 microg epinephrine in SON-intact rats on day 1 of dioestrus (D1) increased progesterone levels in ovarian vein blood from 7 to 21 min after injection but the same injection in SON-intact rats on day 2 of dioestrus (D2) decreased progesterone levels in ovarian vein blood from 1 to 25 min. A smaller dose (0.5 microg) of epinephrine injected i.c.v. in SON-intact rats produced a decrease in progesterone levels in ovarian vein blood of shorter duration. In SON-transected (SONt) animals, 0.5 microg epinephrine i.c.v. caused a smaller decrease in progesterone levels compared with SON-intact rats (P