Inhibitory action of human follicular fluid on ovarian accumu¬ lation of cyclic AMP

Porcine follicular fluid has been shown to inhibit the gonadotrophin-stimulated accumula-tion of cyclic AMP in vitro (Ledwitz-Rigby, Gay, Stetson, Young & Channing, 1977). The aim of the present investigation was to test for cyclic AMP inhibitory activity in human follicular fluid obtained during the periovulatory period. Twelve normal, healthy subjects, aged 21-40 years, with regular ovulatorycycles and requir¬ ing Iaparotomy for medical reasons, voluntarily consented to participate in the study. Laparo-tomy was scheduled as close as possible to the expected time of ovulation. With day 0 as the day of the operation, blood samples were taken daily on days —8 to —4 and three times/ day on days —3 to 3 and the concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), oestradiol-17ß and progesterone in the plasma were determined by radioimmunoassay (Lunenfeld, Insler, Eshkol & Birnboim, 1974). During Iaparotomy, follicular fluid was aspirated from the largest follicle and stored at —20 °C until required and an ovarian biopsy was performed for histological examination. To estimate the inhibitory activity of the fluid, ovaries from 21-day-old mice were pre-incubated for 30 min under 95 % 02: 5 % C02 in a shaking water bath at 37 °C. The in