Steroidogenesis by the human oocyte-cumulus cell complex in vitro

The ability of the human oocyte-cumulus cell complex to synthesize progesterone, androgens and estrogens and to modify its endocrine environment in vitro was investigated. Germinal-vesicle stage oocytes with adhering layers of cumulus cells were recovered from human ovaries and maintained for 40--50 h in vitro in a culture medium with or without antral fluid. The results show that oocyte-cumulus (O-C) cell complexes were capable of synthesizing progesterone, androgens and estrogens. Oocytes with the capacity of resuming meiosis in vitro were part of an O-C complex producing significantly more progesterone than those O-C complexes containing oocytes incapable of resuming meiosis. Irrespective of the stage of oocyte maturation at the end of culture, testosterone and estrone were respectively the major androgen and estrogen produced. It is concluded that the oocyte-cumulus compartment of the antral follicle is a steroidogenically competent unit and that it has the capacity to modify the endocrine microenvironment of the follicle.