Survey of antiinflammatory agents and related drugs as inhibitors of ovulation in the rabbit.

ABSTRACT

A wide variety of antiinflammatory agents and related compounds were administered to rabbits so that their ability to inhibit ovulation could be evaluated. In order of decreasing effectiveness, ovulation was inhibited by the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents diclofenac, indomethacin, fenoprofen, niflumate, tolmetin, phenylbutazone, naproxen, meclofenamate, ibuprofen, and flufenamate. Ovulation was not inhibited by aspirin, salicylate, or mefenamate, nor by the steroidal antiinflammatory agents dexamethasone (DEX) and prednisolone. The antineoplastic agents colchicine and vinblastine inhibited ovulation, but not azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine, or cyclophosphamide. Contrary to previous reports, ovulation was not inhibited by the antihistamines chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, or cimetidine. Among the miscellaneous agents tested, ovulation was strongly inhibited by cycloheximide and slightly by acetaminophen but not by clomiphene, quinacrine, allopurinol, diethylstilbestrol (DES), heparin, melatonin, papaverine, chloroquine, D-penicillamine, or levamisole. These results show that ovulation can be inhibited by agents that inhibit acute inflammatory reactions.