Splenic macrophages enhance prolactin and luteinizing hormone action in rat luteal cell cultures.

We have reported that splenic macrophages play a role in the regulation of progestin secretion in rats. In this study, splenic macrophages were obtained from cycling rats at different estrous cycle stages and co-cultured with luteal cells from mid-pseudopregnant rats in the absence/presence of prolactin (PRL) or luteinizing hormone (LH). The effect of macrophages on the luteotropic action of PRL and LH was evaluated with 2 parameters, i.e. an increase in total progestin output (progesterone plus 20 alpha-hydroxyprgn-4-en-one [20 alpha-OHP]), and an increase in the progesterone to 20 alpha-OHP (P/20 alpha-OHP) secretion ratio. Splenic macrophages obtained from proestrous or metestrous rats enhanced the PRL action to increase the P/20 alpha-OHP secretion ratio, but those from estrous or diestrous donors did not. Only macrophages from proestrous donors enhanced the PRL action to increase the total progestin output. In contrast, the LH action increasing the P/20 alpha-OHP secretion ratio was enhanced by splenic macrophages regardless of the donors' estrous cycle stages. The LH action increasing the total progestin output was enhanced only by proestrous or metestrous macrophages. Therefore, if luteal cells are co-cultured with proestrous macrophages, the luteotropic actions of PRL and LH can be fully expressed. These results indicate that splenic macrophages directly act on luteal cells and enhance the luteotropic action of PRL and LH, and that this function of splenic macrophages is modified somehow according to the donors' estrous cycle stages.