Effects of sympathetic denervation on follicular distribution, oestradiol and progesterone serum levels in prepubertal hemi-ovariectomized female guinea pig

Hemi-gonadectomy performed in prepubertal female guinea pigs is followed by a compensatory ovarian hypertrophy (COH) and compensatory ovulation (CO). Sympathetic denervation diminished the COH (left ovary: 28±1.6% versus 46±4% (control), P<0.05; and right ovary: 21.3±3.2% versus 34.2±3.7% (control), P<0.01) and does not modify the CO. The mean follicular diameter increased only in the right ovary of hemi-gonadectomized animals. This increase is greater in the hemi-gonadectomized-denervated groups. The mean follicular diameter measured in the right and left ovaries showed an opposite response in hemi-ovariectomized and hemi-ovariectomized-denervated animals: the diameter increased in the right ovary without modifications in the left. Present results add further support to the participation of ovarian innervation on the mechanisms, which regulate follicular development.