Inhibition of androgen and oestrogen production by clomiphene citrate in avian theca cells.

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O'Keefe RK, Marrone BL

Inhibition of androgen and oestrogen production by clomiphene citrate in avian theca cells.

J Reprod Fertil. 1986 Nov;78(2):541-8. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0780541.

PubMed ID

3806514 [ View in PubMed

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Abstract

Isolated theca cells (2 X 10(5)/ml) were pre-incubated for 1 h in the presence or absence of clomiphene citrate (10(-12)-10(-4) M). Ovine LH (50 ng/ml) was added and cells were incubated for an additional 3 h. A 50% inhibition of LH-stimulated androstenedione and oestrogen production was obtained with doses of 10(-8) M and 2 X 10(-7) M clomiphene, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of clomiphene on LH-stimulated androstenedione production was reversed by washing clomiphene from the cells before stimulation with LH. In subsequent experiments, the effects of clomiphene on C17-20-lyase and aromatase activities were examined. Conversion of [3H]17-hydroxyprogesterone to androstenedione was inhibited by 50% when theca cells were pretreated with 10(-5) M-clomiphene. In addition, conversion of testosterone to oestrogen by theca cells was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by clomiphene, with 50% inhibition occurring at a dose of 5 X 10(-6) M. The results show that clomiphene treatment in vitro inhibits androgen and oestrogen production in theca cells by inhibitory effects on the activities of C17-20-lyase and aromatase. In addition to the widely-accepted effects of clomiphene on the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, the present findings add further support to the suggestion that clomiphene exerts direct effects on ovarian steroidogenesis.

DrugBank Data that Cites this Article

Drug Enzymes

Drug	Enzyme	Kind	Organism	Pharmacological Action	Actions
Clomifene	Steroid 17-alpha-hydroxylase/17,20 lyase	Protein	Humans	Unknown	Inhibitor	Details