Sex steroid changes in porcine cystic ovarian disease

Ten sex steroids were measured in the peripheral serum and ovarian follicular fluid of female pigs with or without cystic ovarian disease. In general, progestin, especially progesterone, accumulated excessively in the fluid contained in cystic compared with normal follicles. Nonluteinized cystic follicles contained up to four times the progesterone concentration found in large normal preovulatory follicles. Levels of this steroid increased with luteinization of cystic follicles to as much as 10 times those found in large preovulatory follicles. In contrast, the concentration of follicular fluid androgens and estrogens in cystic follicles were, at best, barely detectable (5 to 10 pg/ml). These results are indicative of a steroidogenic blockade in the conversion of C21 progestin to C19 androgens and C18 estrogens in the cystic follicles. In spite of an enormous accumulation of follicular progestin and subnormal concentration of androgens and estrogens, circulating levels of these hormones in pigs bearing cystic ovaries were in the normal range for cycling sows. Clearly, the hormonal abnormalities in the cystic follicles are not reflected in the serum profiles of these steroids.