Oocyte Maturity and Human Follicular Fluid Prostanoids, Gonadotropins, and Prolactin After Administration of Clomiphene and Pergonal

Abstract

Follicular fluid (FF) and oocytes were obtained from 130 follicles of 52 women in whom ovulation was induced with human menopausal gonadotropin (Pergonal) and clomiphene citrate. Follicular aspiration was performed 36 h after an ovulatory injection of hCG. The concentrations of LH, FSH, PRL, and the prostanoids prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), PGF2 alpha, PGI2 (as 6-oxo-PGF2 alpha), and thromboxane A2 (as TXB2) in the FF were measured by RIA and related to the degree of maturation of the oocyte-corona-cumulus complex mass (OCCC). FF obtained from follicles with immature OCCC contained significantly lower concentrations of all four prostanoids (median concentrations, picograms per mL: PGE2, 88; PGF2 alpha, 85; 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha, 40; TXB2, 50) than those with intermediate OCCC (PGE2, 175; PGF2 alpha, 325; 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha, 130; TXB2, 65) and mature OCCC (PGE2, 425; PGF2 alpha, 860; 6-oxo-PGF1 alpha, 235; TXB2, 78; all P less than 0.01). There were no significant differences between the maturity of the complexes and the concentrations of LH, FSH, or PRL. There were significant correlations between the FF concentrations of LH and FSH and those of all of the prostanoids, but not with PRL, concentrations. These results indicate that the synthesis of prostanoids in the human Graafian follicles may be modulated by gonadotropins and consolidates the view that prostanoids may play a role in human oocyte maturation and ovulation.