Ovarian maintenance in the hypophysectomized catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (bloch), with mammalian hypophyseal and placental hormones, and gonadal and adrenocortical steroids

The relative effectiveness of mammalian hypophyseal hormones (LH, FSH, TSH, STH, LtH, and ACTH), placental gonadotropins (HCG and PMS), and gonadal (estradiol, estradiol benzoate, estrone, estriol, progesterone, and testosterone propionate) and adrenocortical steroids (deoxycorticosterone acetate and hydrocortisone acetate) was tested by evaluating ovarian maintenance in the hypophysectomized gravid catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis, during the spawning period (July). Among the mammalian hypophyseal hormones tested, LH produced the best maintenance response in the ovaries; FSH, TSH, STH, LtH, and ACTH poorly maintained the yolky oocytes. Of the two placental gonadotropins, the ovaries were better maintained with HCG than with PMS. Between HCG and LH, the former was considerably more effective than the latter. Among the steroid hormones used, estradiol produced a partial maintenance response; estrone, estriol, and estradiol benzoate were less effective than estradiol. Other gonadal and adrenocortical steroids marginally maintained the yolky oocytes in the hypophysectomized gravid recipients. The possibility of LH-like gonadotropin maintaining the yolky oocytes via estrogen is discussed.