Effect of nervous stimulation on ovarian steroid secretion in amphibians

In the present study, the effect of nerve stimulation on the secretory activity of the ovary of adult females was analyzed for the first time in amphibians. Results revealed that in Rhinella arenarum the stimulation of nerves that supply the gonad induced an increase in estradiol and progesterone secretion, this response showing differences during the reproductive cycle of the species. During the postreproductive period, an increase in estradiol secretion was observed while, in the reproductive period, progesterone secretion increased. Our results suggest that the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system would be responsible for this increase, taking into account that, under our experimental conditions, acetylcholine did not affect the endocrine activity of the gonad, while adrenaline (epinephrine) was effective in inducing steroid secretion an effect that could be due to interaction with β receptors. On the other hand, our data show that the association of adrenaline with follicle-stimulating hormone increased estradiol secretion during the postreproductive period, while the association of catecholamine with LH or hCG increased progesterone secretion during the reproductive period. Our results would suggest that nerve stimulation, mediated by the release of adrenaline, would act synergistically with gonadotrophins to stimulate steroid secretion.