Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System in the Regulation of Ovarian Function

  • Conference paper
The Menstrual Cycle and Its Disorders

Abstract

Although it has been known for many years that the ovary is innervated by catecholaminergic nerve fibers it has been only recently that new experimental evidence has begun to strengthen the notion that catecholamines are physiologically involved in the control of ovarian function. The purpose of this article is to provide a succinct overview of the recent findings in this area and discuss them in relation to earlier observations made by different investigators. Necessarily, however, only selected references will be cited.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Adashi EY, Hsueh AJW (1981) Stimulation of β2-adrenergic responsiveness by follicle-stimulating hormone in rat granulosa cells in vitro and in vivo. Endocrinology 108: 2170–2178

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aguado LI, Ojeda SR (1984a) Prepubertal ovarian function is finely regulated by direct adrenergic influences. Role of noradrenergic innervation. Endocrinology 114: 1845–1853

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aguado LI, Ojeda SR (1984b) Effect of selective removal of the adrenal medulla on female sexual development. Biol Reprod 31: 605–618

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aguado LI, Ojeda SR (1984c) Ovarian adrenergic nerves play a role in maintaining preovulatory steroid secretion. Endocrinology 114: 1944–1946

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aguado LI, Ojeda SR (1986) Prepubertal rat ovary: hormonal modulation of β-adrenergic receptors and of progesterone response to adrenergic stimulation. Biol Reprod 34: 45–50

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aguado LI, Petrovic SL, Ojeda SR (1982) Ovarian β-adrenergic receptors during the onset of puberty: characterization, distribution, and coupling to steroidogenic responses. Endocrinology 110: 1124–1132

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bahr JM, Ben-Jonathan N (1981) Preovulatory depletion of ovarian catacholamines in the rat. Endocrinology 108: 1815–1820

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bahr JM, Ben-Jonathan N (1985) Elevated catecholamines in porcine follicular fluid before ovulation. Endocrinology 117: 620–623

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Baljet B, Drukker J (1979) The extrinsic innervation of the abdominal organs of the female rat. Acta Anat 243: 243–267

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Johnathan N, Braw RH, Laufer N, Reich R, Bahr JM, Tsafriri A (1982) Norepinephrine in Graafian follicles is depleted by follicle-stimulating hormone. Endocrinology 110: 457–461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Johnathan N, Arbogast LA, Rhoades TA, Bahr JM (1984) Norepinephrine in the rat ovary: ontogeny and de novo synthesis. Endocrinology 115: 1426–1431

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burden HW (1985) The adrenergic innervation of mammalian ovaries. In: Ben-Jonathan N, Bahr JM, Weiner RI (eds) Catecholamines as hormone regulators. Academic, New York, pp 261–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman AJ, Paterson DA, Somerville AR (1979) The β-adrenergic receptor of rat corpus luteum membranes. Biochem Pharmacol 28: 1003–1010

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Curry TE Jr, Lawrence IE Jr, Burden HW (1984a) Ovarian sympathectomy in the guinea pig. I. Effect on follicular development during the estrous cycle. Cell Tissue Res 236: 257–263

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Curry TE Jr, Lawrence IE Jr, Burden HW (1984b) Effect of ovarian sympathectomy on follicular development during compensatory ovarian hypertrophy in the guinea pig. J Reprod Fertil 71: 39–44

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dyer CA, Erickson GF (1985) Norepinephrine amplifies human chorionic gonadotropin-stimulated androgen biosynthesis by ovarian theca-interstitial cells. Endocrinology 116: 1645–1652

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandez-Pardal J, Gimeno MF, Gimeno AL (1986) Catecholamines in sow Graafian follicles at proestrus and at diestrus. Biol Reprod 34: 439–445

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gerendai I, Marchetti B, Maugeri S, Amico-Roxas M, Scapagnini U (1978) Prevention of compensatory ovarian hypertrophy by local treatment of the ovary with 6-OHDA. Neuroendocrinology 27: 272–278

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez ER, Jimenez JL, Payne DW, Adashi EY (1988) Adrenergic regulation of ovarian androgen biosynthesis is mediated via β2-adrenergic theca-interstitial cell recognition sites. Endocrinology 122: 1592–1603

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jacobowitz D, Wallach EE (1967) Histochemical and chemical studies of the autonomic innervation of the ovary. Endocrinology 81: 1132–1139

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson EM Jr, Toy-Manning P (1984) Guanethidine-induced destruction of sympathetic neurons. Int Rev Neurobiol 25:1–37

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan AW (1981) Changes in ovarian β-adrenergic receptors during the estrous cycle of the rat. Biol Reprod 24: 245–248

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lara H, McDonald JK, Ojeda SR (1988) Nerve growth factor (NGF) plays a physiological role in female sexual development. Proceedings, 18th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, p 286

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawrence IE Jr, Burden HW (1980) The origin of the extrinsic adrenergic innervation of the ovary. Anat Rec 196: 51–59

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Levi-Montalcini R (1987) The nerve growth factor 35 years later. Science 237: 1154–1162

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morimoto K, Okamura H, Tamaka C (1982) Development and periovulatory changes of ovarian norepinephrine in the rat. Am J Obstet Gynecol 143: 389–392

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ojeda SR, Lara H, Ahmed CE (1989) The potential relevance of vasoactive intestinal peptide to ovarian physiology. In: Adashi E (ed) Seminars in reproduction. Putative intraovarian regulators. 7: 52–60 Thieme, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Owman CH, Rosengren E, Sjobert NO (1967) Adrenergic innervation of the human female reproductive organs: a histochemical and chemical investigation. Obstet Gynecol 30: 763–773

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ratner A, Weiss GK, Sanborn GR (1980) Stimulation by β2-adrenergic receptors of the production of cyclic AMP and progesterone in rat ovarian tissue. J Endocrinol 87: 123–129

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Veldhuis JD, Harrison TS, Hammond JM (1980) β2-Adrenergic stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase activity in porcine granulosa cells in vitro. Biochim Biophys Acta 627:123–130

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf R, Meier-Fleitmann A, Duker EM, Wuttke W (1986) Intraovarian secretion of catecholamines, oxytocin, beta-endorphin, and gamma-amino butyric acid in freely moving rats: development of a push-pull tubing method. Biol Reprod 35: 599–607

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wrutniak-Zolnowska T (1980) Changes of the secretory activity of ovarian chromaffin cells during the sex cycle of female white rats. Endokrinologie 76: 279–287

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neuroscience, Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, 505 NW 185th Avenue, Beaverton, OR, 97006, USA

    S. R. Ojeda & H. E. Lara

Authors
  1. S. R. Ojeda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. H. E. Lara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie, Kraepelinstr. 10, 8000, München 40, Germany

    Karl Martin Pirke  & Ulrich Schweiger  & 

  2. Abteilung für Klinische und Experimentelle Endokrinologie, Universität Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 3400, Göttingen, Germany

    Wolfgang Wuttke

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1989 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Ojeda, S.R., Lara, H.E. (1989). Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System in the Regulation of Ovarian Function. In: Pirke, K.M., Wuttke, W., Schweiger, U. (eds) The Menstrual Cycle and Its Disorders. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74631-4_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-74631-4_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-50975-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-74631-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation