Suppression of ovarian oxytocin secretion after intra-luteal administration of the arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor BWA4C in the ewe.

The effect of an intra-luteal injection of the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) inhibitor BWA4C (2 mg in 50 microl DMSO) on the secretion of oxytocin (OT) from the corpus luteum in response to a close-arterial infusion of prostaglandin (PG)-F2alpha (5 ng min(-1)) was examined in anaesthetised sheep. Within 30 minutes of administration both basal (pre-infusion) and PGF2alpha-stimulated OT release into the posterior vena cava were significantly (P<0.01) reduced. These results are consistent with the proposition that 5-LO products of arachidonic acid may modulate OT secretion from the ovine corpus luteum.