Follicular changes during compensatory ovarian hypertrophy in pineal extract and melatonin administered rats

Abstract

The variation in follicular dynamics in ovaries of unilaterally ovariectomised rats injected with pineal extracts and melatonin was studied. The pineal glands, collected from adult female goats during follicular and luteal phases of their oestrous cycle, were tractioned with a reference point of 10 kDa molecular weight. The pineal fractions along with melatonin at different dose rates were injected in unilaterally ovariectomised rats. The ovaries removed at the time of surgery as well as in situ ovaries removed at the time of sacrifice were histologically analysed. The ovarian follicles (above 300 flm) were observed for healthiness or atretic changes. The observed compensatory ovarian hypertrophy was due to the proliferation offollicles having diameter 300-349 flm and these were most susceptible to antigonadal effect possessed by pineal extracts and melatonin. Among pineal extracts, those extracts obtained during luteal phase containing proteins/peptides below 10 kDa possessed maximal antigonadal effect. Melatonin caused a dose dependent increase in atresia among follicles with subsequent reduction in healthiness among follicles.