EVALUATION OF THE ESTROUS CYCLE AND OVARIAN FUNCTION FOLLOWING SUSTAINED DELIVERY OF CORTICOSTEROID VIA TCPL DELIVERY

摘要

Stress has been shown to im pair reproduction in many species and the hypothalam ic pituitary axis (HP A) has been shown to be the targ et. Most of the literature evaluated the effects of acute stress and focused solely on the HPA. The lite rature is lacking in the are a of chronic adm inistration of corticosteroid use and effects on the estrous cycle and long term effects on the ovary. The objectives of this study were to use tricalcium phosphate drug delivery systems to deliver corticosterone in a sustained supraphysiological level and follow the estrous cycle over a 28 day peri od; then, harvest the ovaries to evaluate the morphology. The results indicate prolonged administration of corticosterone in female rats cause alteration in the cy clic activity as ev idenced by changes in the estr ous as well as m orphology of the ovaries. The mechanism appears to be disruption or interference of the HPA axis. Overall, ceram ic drug delivery devices can be used effectively to deliver corticosteroid to induce pathophysiological changes associated with stress.