The attenuation of prostaglandin-induced luteolysis in decidual tissue-bearing pseudopregnant rats

Summary Decidual tissue (DT)-bearing pseudopregnant (PSP) rats, in contrast to hysterectomized PSP rats, were resistant to a luteolytic regimen of either PGF₂ or PGE₂ when examined for the duration of PSP diestrus. The PG treatments, however, caused a marked fall in the serum progesterone levels on days 10 and 12, although the levels in DT-bearing rats on day 10 were significantly higher than in the hysterectomized rats.Acknowledgment. The authors wish to thank Helen Wilk and Edward Butler for their help in animal care; Ellen O'Laughlin-Phillips for the progesterone assays; Rosa Garnett, Jo Fletcher, and Aileen Svaty for editorial and secretarial help; Dr John E. Pike of the Upjohn Company for the gifts of PGE₂ and PGF₂; and Dr G. N. Niswender for the gift of antiserum GDN-337 used in the RIA for progesterone.Aided in part by NIH Training Grant HD-00024, Ford Foundation Grant 670-0135A, and NIH Program Project HD-07640.