Inhibitory effects of danazol on steroidogenesis in cultured human granulosa cells

The effect of danazol on steroidogenesis in cultured human granulosa cells was studied. Granulosa cells obtained from antral follicles in the mid to late follicular phase were cultured for 2 to 6 days. Danazol (0.1 to 5 micrograms/ml) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG, 10 IU/ml), alone or in combination, were added to the culture medium. Testosterone (T) (1 microgram/ml) was added as an aromatase substrate in certain experiments. The medium content of progesterone (P) and estradiol (E2) was determined. Basal P secretion was variably influenced by danazol, whereas a consistent dose-dependent and reversible inhibition of the hCG-stimulated P secretion was found. In the presence of T, danazol caused a dose-dependent inhibition of both basal and hCG-stimulated E2 secretion, and this effect became more pronounced with time. The results demonstrate that danazol exerts direct inhibitory effects on steroidogenesis in cultured human granulosa cells.