Effect of mammalian estrogens and progesterone on the hypothalamo-adenohypophysial complex of ovariectomised cat-fish Clarias batrachus (Linn).

Exogenous estrogen and progesterone are found to influence the Gomori positive secretion in the neurons of the supra-optic nucleus of Clarias batrachus. Prolonged administration of progesterone alone causes abnormal enlargement of the neurons of the pre-optic nucleus and the formation of unusually large vacuoles in the oocytes. The observations in this experiment are thus indicative of a correlatory pre-optico-ovarian activity. Progesterone in combination with estrogen enhances the accumulation of fuchsinophil material in the neurons of the pre-optic nucleus while complete absence of the ovarian hormones causes depletion of the Gomori positive material and brings in reduction in cell size. In the pituitary progesterone in combination with estrogen brings to prominence, the fuchsinophils and the basophils go into insignificance. On the other hand, in the ovariectomised control fishes, the basophils gained prominence. But progesterone alone seems to have no significant effect on either of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]