THE ROLE OF GONADOTROPINS AND TESTOSTERONE IN PROGESTERONE PRODUCTION BY HUMAN OVARIAN GRANULOSA-CELLS

Granulosa and theca cells obtained from patients were isolated and cultivated in a chemically defined medium containing gonadotropins and/or testosterone. Progesterone secretion by granulosa cells was consistently stimulated (2- to 40-fold) in all 5 patients by the addition of FSH (0.257 .mu.g/ml). In the presence of testosterone (0.5 .mu.M) alone, progesterone production was stimulated (2- to 8-fold) in 4 of the patients, and cells of 1 patient showed a greater response to testosterone than to FSH alone. In 2 of the 5 patients, FSH and testosterone acted in a synergistic manner to stimulate the production of progesterone by granulosa cells. Human chorionic gonadotropin (1.0 IU/ml) alone failed to exert any significant effect. No treatment examined altered the production of progesterone by theca cells. These results suggest a role for FSH and testosterone in regulating progesterone biosynthesis by granulosa cells of the human ovary during follicular development.