Effects of aglepristone, a progesterone receptor antagonist, administered during the early luteal phase in non-pregnant bitches

摘要

Aglepristone, a progesterone receptor antagonist, was administered to six non-pregnant bitches in the early luteal phase in order to determine its effects on the duration of the luteal phase, the interestrous interval, and plasma concentrations of progesterone and prolactin. Aglepristone was administered subcutaneously once daily on two consecutive days in a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight, beginning 12 +/- 1 days after ovulation. Blood samples were collected before, during, and after administration of aglepristone for determination of plasma progesterone and prolactin concentrations. The differences in mean plasma concentration of progesterone and of prolactin before, during, and after treatment were not significant. Also, the duration of the luteal phase in the six treated bitches (72 +/- 6 days) did not differ significantly from that in untreated control dogs (74 +/- 4 days ). However, the intervals during which plasma progesterone concentration exceeded 64 and 32 nmol/l were significantly shorter in the six treated bitches than in untreated control dogs. The interestrous interval was significantly shorter in beagle bitches treated with aglepristone (158 +/- 16 days) than in the same group prior to treatment (200 +/- 5 days ). It is concluded that administration of aglepristone during the early luteal phase in the non-pregnant bitch affects progesterone secretion, but not sufficiently to shorten the luteal phase. The shortening of the interestrous interval suggests that aglepristone administered in the early luteal phase influences the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis.