The source of progesterone in preimplantation rabbit blastocysts

In vitro and in vivo synthesis of progesterone, sequestration of progesterone from the surrounding medium, and its subsequent conversion to metabolites was investigated in 146 hr post coitus preimplantation rabbit blastocysts. No significant conversion of 3H-pregnenolone to 3H-progesterone was observed throughout the 8 hr incubation. Progesterone content in blastocysts and culture medium did not change during the course of an 8 hr incubation. This suggests that the failure to detect incorporation of label into progesterone was not due to the presence of a large endogenous pool of pregnenolone. Significant uptake (p less than 0.05) of 3H-progesterone from the incubation medium was observed as was significant conversion of the 3H-progesterone to unidentified metabolites. Therefore it would appear that the preimplantation rabbit blastocyst is not capable of de novo synthesis of progesterone from pregnenolone prior to implantation but sequesters progesterone from the surrounding medium and converts it to progesterone metabolites.