Throughout a period of pseudopregnancy the peripheral blood levels of progesterone, oestradiol-17 beta, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), as well as the size-distribution of ovarian antral follicles were estimated in the rat. The progesterone concentrations, as measured by a competitive protein-binding technique, exceeded metoestrous values (25 ng/ml plasma) from day 3 of pseudopregnancy onwards. The highest levels were found on days 6 and 8 (91 ng/ml). From day 8 onwards the levels decreased gradually but were still above metoestrous values on the day of pro-oestrus after pseudopregnancy. Concentrations of oestradiol-17 beta, as measured by radioimmunoassay, were within the range of those at metoestrus (about 5 pg/ml plasma) until day 10. Thereafter levels increased to a value of 57 pg/ml. Concentrations of FSH, measured by radioimmunoassay, were within the range of metoestrous values until day 10 (about 100 ngNIAMD-rat-FSH RP-1/ml serum), but declined to a level of 33 ng/ml on day 12. Concentrations of LH, measured by radioimmunoassay, were generally within the wide range of metoestrous values (9-60 ng NIAMD-rat-LH RP-1/ml serum), but concentrations found on days 4, 8 and 10 were significantly lower than those found on preceding or subsequent days. Histological determination of the number of follicles present in various volume-classes, showed an increase in antral follicles on days 1 and 2, comparable to the increase observed during metoestrus and dioestrus 1 of the normal cycle. There was no change in the follicles between days 3 and 10 and they resembled those of early dioestrus. Preovulatory growth had occurred by day 12. Injection of human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) on days 2, 4 or 6 showed that ovulation could be induced only in some of the larger follicles. On the basis of these results it is suggested that during pseudopregnancy the high progesterone levels present result in a decreased plasma LH level which is insufficient to cause full maturation of the follicles and to stimulate oestrogen secretion to the levels required for induction of an ovulatory surge of LH release.

Oestradiol-17\g=b\(E2) was measured by radioimmunoassay in the plasma of immature female rats. Maximal E2 levels of 55\p=n-\60 pg/ml were found at 10\p=n-\15 days of age; from day 25 to day 35 E2 levels were low to undetectable. The E2 measured appeared to be of ovarian origin: ovariectomy performed on day 13 resulted in a decreased E2 level 2 days later (13 pg/ml) as compared with the value from the control litter mates (46 pg/ml); after adrenalectomy the level of circulating E2 remained normal (54 pg/ml). The effects of ovariectomy and adrenalectomy on uterine weights followed a similar pattern: ovariectomy resulted in a decrease and adrenalectomy in no change in uterine weight.In the strain of rat used, levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the serum (measured by radioimmunoassay) were high from day 10 to day 20 and showed a steep decrease on day 21. After ovariectomy on day 15 this decrease in serum FSH was not observed.The influence of circulating E2 on serum levels of FSH was studied after ovariectomy followed by treatment with varying doses of oestradiol benzoate. Ovariectomy on day 13 resulted in a significantly increased FSH level 2 days later (1770 ng NIAMD-rat-FSH RP-1/ml) as compared with the value obtained from control animals (1033 ng/ml). This increase was not observed after daily injections of 0\ m=. \ 1\g=m\g oestradiol benzoate/100 g body weight.The results indicate that E2 and FSH concentrations show a similar pattern between 5 and 35 days of age. Furthermore, an inhibitory feedback mechanism between oestrogens and FSH concentrations was found to be operative. The implications of these findings are discussed.

De Jong & Sharpe (1976) recently observed that bovine follicular fluid from which steroids had been removed reduced peripheral levels of FSH but not of LH when injected into newly castrated male rats. The effect was ascribed to a factor resembling testicular inhibin. In the present report, observations were extended to the effects of this inhibin-like factor on FSH and LH levels in female rats. Attention has also been paid to the question of whether the factor is present in species other than the cow and whether the factor is present in antral follicles of all sizes.

In ovaries of immature rats the following parameters were estimated from autoradiographs prepared after pulse labelling with tritiated thymidine: 1) The time it takes follicles to grow from one stage of development to another. This could be derived from the total number of granulosa cells in these stages and from their doubling times. The doubling time of granulosa cells was determined from their labelling index and the duration of their DNA-synthesis phase.2) The number of follicles present in the ovary at different ages.3) The number of follicles, which start on their development at different ages.It was found, that more follicles start to grow in 8 and 16 days old rats (2.0/h) than in 28 days old ones (1.0/h). Moreover, the follicles grow somewhat faster earlier in life than later. The development from a follicle with one layer of granulosa cells to one with several layers and antrum formation takes about 15 days in the first half of the period of immaturity while it takes about 17 days as the animal approaches maturity. Pedersen (1969Pedersen ( , 1970aPedersen ( ,«, 1972 introduced granulosa cell kinetics, using [3H]-thymidine ([;iH]T), to time follicle growth. His studies in mice indicated that the time it takes a 3 b follicle (20 granulosa cells in the largest cross section) to develop to an antral one changes with age and is about 16 days in the 21 days old mouse. So far, follicle growth rates in the rat, the species in which the reproductive system has been studied most extensively, have not been determined. Therefore, 375

Inhibin‐like activities in charcoal‐treated bovine follicular fluid (FF) and medium from cultured Sertoli cells (SCCM) were assayed in an in vitro bioassay system, using cultured pituitary cells. Addition of both fluids resulted in parallel dose‐dependent decreases of the concentration of follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) in the medium, both in the presence or absence of luteinizing hormone‐releasing hormone (LH‐RH). A single injection of FF into immature and adult male and female rats resulted in decreased peripheral levels of FSH, but not of LH, after 4 or 8 h. This decrease was larger and occurred faster in adult female rats than in prepubertal female animals. Injection of FF into adult female rats, immediately after unilateral ovariectomy (ULO) prevented the specific increase of FSH levels, occurring in control animals. This suppression could not be obtained after treatment with steroids. Daily treatment of adult female or immature male rats for periods longer than 5 days did not result in prolonged suppression of circulating FSH concentrations; LH levels were significantly increased. The female animals showed cyclic vaginal smear changes and normal ovulation; in the male rats testis weight and numbers of spermatogenic cells were reduced. It is concluded that testicular and ovarian inhibin‐like activities have similar properties. Injections of FF into male and female rats cause similar effects on FSH and LH. The effect of FF in ULO‐animals suggests that inhibin could play a role in the short‐term regulation of the number of developing follicles in the ovary. Injection of FF into male rats causes a probably transient impairment of spermatogenesis through an initial suppression of FSH.