Abstract
Summary
Sex accessory organ weight was used as an index of androgen production by the testes of hypophysectomized male rats treated with ovine LH for 5 days. Prolactin augmented the testicular response to LH to a greater extent when both hormones were given simultaneously, but at different sites, early in the dark period than early in the light period. The effect of testosterone upon the accessories was not augmented by prolactin. The results suggest that the sensitivity to tropic hormone stimulation is rhythmic and that gradients in function may have a temporal relationship to the periodicity of tropic hormone release by the pituitary.
The ovine LH and prolactin used were kindly supplied by the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism and Digestive Diseases, NIH.
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