Adenosine potentiates the effects of LH and isoproterenol on luteal cells but not on isolated intact corpora lutea.

Adenosine potentiated the stimulatory effect of luteinizing hormone (LH) in a dose-dependent way on the production of cyclic AMP (cAMP) in isolated cells from heavily luteinized rat ovaries and from individual rat corpora lutea of various ages (2- and 5-day-old). Such an effect has earlier been reported only for cells from heavily luteinized ovaries (Behrman et al. 1983). A similar potentiating effect of adenosine was now seen on catecholamine-stimulated cAMP production in isolated cells from 2-day-old corpora lutea. Adenosine did not, however, potentiate LH- or catecholamine-stimulated cAMP production in isolated intact corpora lutea.