Ovulation after sympathetic denervation of the rat ovary produced by freezing its nerve supply

The ovaries of cyclic female rats were unilaterally or bilaterally denervated or sham-operated. Denervation was achieved by freezing the ovarian vascular pedicle and suspensory ligament about 1 cm from the ovary; this technique renders the ovary devoid of innervation for up to 10 days. Denervated ovaries from 6 unilaterally and 7 bilaterally operated animals exhibited normal ovulation rates (5.8 +/- 1.0 and 5.2 +/- 1.2 respectively, mean +/- s.e.m.) compared with intact (5.6 +/- 0.4) and sham-operated controls (4.4 +/- 0.6 unilaterally sham-operated; 4.1 +/- 0.8 bilaterally sham-operated). It is concluded that the mechanism of follicular rupture is unaffected by the absence of ovarian sympathetic innervation.