The effect of arginine-vasotocin on the production of steroid hormones by mouse, cow, and chicken ovarian tissues in vitro.

: The effect of arginine-vasotocin (50 ng ml-1) on the in vitro production of progesterone, testosterone, and oestradiol by isolated cow and chicken ovarian follicles and mouse ovaries was studied. This peptide (1) enhanced the release of progesterone into the medium by the ovarian tissues of all three species of animal; (2) inhibited the production of oestradiol by mouse and cow ovaries; (3) had no significant effect on testosterone secretion in any of the species studied. The results obtained indicate that arginine-vasotocin directly influences steroid production in mammalian and avian gonads.