INVOLVEMENT OF GANGLIONIC CHOLINERGIC RECEPTORS IN THE STEROIDOGENESIS IN THE LUTEAL PHASE IN RAT

VEGA OROZCO; Z. SOSA; M. DELGADO; M. CASAIS; A.M. RASTRILLA

JOURNAL OF STEROID BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Año: 2010 p. 45 - 52

0960-0760

The ovarian nervous plexus (ONP) is one of the principal extrinsic innervation pathways reaching the ovary from the superior mesenteric ganglion (SMG). The aims of this work were: (a) to determine if acetylcholine (Ach) in the SMG modifies the release of steroids and ovarian nitrites in an ex vivo SMG-ONP-ovary system on dioestrus (D) I and II, and (b) to demonstrate if the activities and gene expression of the steroidogenic enzymes 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3beta-HSD) and 20alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (20alpha-HSD) are modified by cholinergic stimulus. The system was incubated in Krebs-Ringer buffer bicarbonate at 37 degrees C in metabolic bath. Ach (10(-6)M) was used as cholinergic agonist. Ach in SMG increased progesterone release at all the incubation times on DI and DII (*p