Effects of a Gonadotropin‐releasing Hormone Agonist on Rat Ovarian Adenocarcinoma Cell Lines in vitro and in vivo

To evaluate the biologic effects of the gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist buserelin on rat ovarian adenocarcinoma cells in vivo and in vitro, female Wistar rats with primary ovarian adenocarcinoma induced by 7, 12‐dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) and the DMBA‐OC‐1 cell line established from a DMBA‐induced rat tumor were used in this study. In vivo, daily administration of buserelin significantly suppressed the release of follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and progesterone as compared with controls. Buserelin did not inhibit the growth of DMBA‐induced tumors. However, histopathologically, there was increased central necrosis and a decrease in the number of neoplastic cells, with proliferation of connective tissue, in the group treated with buserelin. In vitro, FSH‐induced proliferation of DMBA‐OC‐1 cells was suppressed by buserelin. Thus, this basic experimental study supports the potential use of a GnRH agonist to suppress the growth of ovarian cancer.