Inhibition of estrogen biosynthesis in the rat ovary by anordrin

The delay in appearance of vaginal cornification associated with administration of anordiol (de-esterified anordrin) in the post-ovulatory period was confirmed. Ovarian tissue incubated in vitro for 2 h on the day which, in normal cycles, would be the day of proestrus produced negligible amounts of estradiol even in the presence of androstenedione and human menopausal gonadotropin, despite the appearance of apparently mature follicles in the ovaries. Ovaries of untreated rats produced significant amounts of estradiol when androstenedione was present. Continued incubation for 3 days resulted in significant estradiol production by ovaries of anordiol-pretreated rats in the presence of androstenedione, but less than that of ovaries of control rats. Granulosa cells of immature rats pretreated with diethylstilbestrol (DES) were unaffected by pretreatment with anordrin, whether anordrin was given before or after DES treatment. Taken together, the results indicate that anordiol inhibits development of the capacity for estrogen secretion in maturing follicles without affecting structural development, but that follicles that grow under the influence of high concentrations of estrogen (DES) are unaffected by the presence of anordrin (which is rapidly converted to anordiol in vivo). The latter result suggests that DES treatment bypasses the anordiol-sensitive step in follicular maturation.