scholarly journals Genes and environmental factors that influence disease resistance to microbes in the female reproductive tract of dairy cattle

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 72 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. M. Sheldon
Keyword(s):  
Disease Resistance ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Genetic Selection ◽  
Metabolic Stress ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Uterine Disease ◽  
Uterine Diseases

Microbes commonly infect the female reproductive tract of cattle, causing infertility, abortion and post partum uterine diseases. When organisms reach the uterus, the resistance to disease depends on the balance between the classic triad of the virulence of the microbes, the host defence systems and the environment. The present review considers each aspect of this triad, using postpartum uterine disease as an exemplar for understanding disease resistance. The bacteria that cause postpartum uterine disease are adapted to the endometrium, and their microbial toxins cause tissue damage and inflammation. However, non-specific defence systems counter ascending infections of the female reproductive tract, and inflammatory responses in the endometrium are driven by innate immunity. Disease resistance to bacterial infection involves many genes involved in the maintenance or restoration of tissue homeostasis in the endometrium, including antimicrobial peptides, complement, cytokines, chemokines and Toll-like receptors. The most important environmental factors facilitating the development of postpartum uterine disease are related to trauma of the reproductive tract and to the metabolic stress of lactation in dairy cows. Long-term solutions for uterine disease will include genetic selection for disease resistance and optimising the care of the animal before, during and after parturition.

scholarly journals Defining Postpartum Uterine Disease and the Mechanisms of Infection and Immunity in the Female Reproductive Tract in Cattle1

2009 ◽  
Vol 81 (6) ◽  
pp. 1025-1032 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Martin Sheldon ◽  
James Cronin ◽  
Leopold Goetze ◽  
Gaetano Donofrio ◽  
Hans-Joachim Schuberth
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Uterine Disease

Uterine microbiome—low biomass and high expectations†

2018 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iolanda Garcia-Grau ◽  
Carlos Simon ◽  
Inmaculada Moreno
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
High Expectations ◽  
Downstream Analysis ◽  
Uterine Diseases ◽  
Human Fetal Development ◽  
Infertile Patients

AbstractThe existence of different bacterial communities throughout the female reproductive tract has challenged the traditional view of human fetal development as a sterile event. There is still no consensus on what physiological microbiota exists in the upper reproductive tract of the vast majority of women who are not in periods of infection or pregnancy, and the role of bacteria that colonize the upper reproductive tract in uterine diseases or pregnancy outcomes is not well established. Despite published studies and advances in uterine microbiome sequencing, some study aspects—such as study design, sampling method, DNA extraction, sequencing methods, downstream analysis, and assignment of taxa—have not yet been improved and standardized. It is time to further investigate the uterine microbiome to increase our understanding of the female reproductive tract and to develop more personalized reproductive therapies, highlighting the potential importance of using microbiological assessment in infertile patients.

Reproduction and post-natal development in the marsupial Bettongia lesueur (Quoy & Gaimard)

1968 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 577 ◽  
Author(s):  
CH Tyndale-Biscoe
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Oestrous Cycle ◽  
Vaginal Smear ◽  
General Hypothesis ◽  
Adult Weight ◽  
Modal Length ◽  
Young Leaves ◽  
Constant Period

The female reproductive tract is described and compared with that of other Macropodidae. It is shown that the characters considered to be diagnostic of the Potoroinae are more variable than hitherto supposed and occur also in the Macropodinae. For the greater part of the oestrous cycle the lateral vaginae are probably occluded and the pseudovaginal canal closes within a day of parturition, so that the contents of the vaginal smear are derived mainly from the posterior vaginal sinus. B. lesueur is polyoestrous and monovular. The oestrous cycle has a modal length of 23 days and gestation modal length of 21 days, post-partum oestrus following about 1 day later. The reproductive cycle is delayed during lactation and embryonic diapause occurs. The young leaves the pouch at 115 days and the delayed embryo is born a few days later. Experimental removal of the pouch young results in resumption of development and birth 20 days after removal. The young weighs 0.317 g at birth and it reaches an adult weight at about 280 days, when sexual maturity is attained. Animals less than 1 yr old can be distinguished by the presence of the sectorial premolar 3 in the upper jaw, which is shed at 1 yr. The full adult dentition is attained by 18 months. In close confinement females bred regularly from February to September but about 70% spontaneously lost their young by the age of 3 weeks. In large pens young were carried through lactation to independence. Reproduction in Bettongia is compared to that of Potorous, a closely related rat-kangaroo, and a general hypothesis is developed to reconcile several disparate observations of marsupial reproduction. It is postulated that most marsupials have a period of obligatory diapause interposed in the development of the embryo, and this is followed by a short and relatively constant period of embryogenesis. The diapause may be short, as in Perameles, or long as in Potorous, and, in the special conditions of the Macropodidae may be greatly extended during lactation. This latter phenomenon may be secondarily advantageous to the species ecologically but it is emphasized that its primary adaptive significance is likely to be found in the need to synchronize embryonic and uterine development for intra-uterine nourishment of the embryo.

scholarly journals Uterine inflammation affects the reproductive performance of dairy cows: A review

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 449
Author(s):  
Roger Eduardo Molina-Coto ◽  
Matthew C. Lucy
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Uterine Disease ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Multiple Challenges ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Uterine Diseases

Incidence of post- partum uterine disease is an important concern in dairy cattle, because it affects its reproduction. Therefore, the objective of this review of literature was to generate a multifactorial overview about uterine diseases, and the reproductive performance of dairy cows, from a zootechnical approach. Dairy cows face multiple challenges around parturition. Immune suppression around calving, exposition to trauma and uterine bacterial contamination, metabolic diseases, lactation, and changes in management make dairy cows susceptible to uterine diseases. Most cows are able to eliminate uterine infection after calving, however, some cows keep uterine disease. Uterine disease may show clinical signs, but also silent signs that affect fertility as well. Poor reproductive performance is not caused by those signs by themselves, but due to alterations in ovarian and uterine function. Also, the problem of this silent signs is that farmers become aware of the disease when it has already caused negative effects on the reproductiveperformance. Sometimes, uterine disease is still present at the moment of the first service after calving. Uterine diseasemake it harder for cows to get pregnant because it affects the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, being another cause for infertility, increasing the cull rate and decreasing incomes from the dairy industry.

scholarly journals IL-36 Cytokines: Regulators of Inflammatory Responses and Their Emerging Role in Immunology of Reproduction

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 1649 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Murrieta-Coxca ◽  
Sandra Rodríguez-Martínez ◽  
Mario Cancino-Diaz ◽  
Udo Markert ◽  
Rodolfo Favaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Inflammatory Conditions ◽  
Immune Mediators ◽  
Dynamic Expression ◽  
Cellular Recruitment ◽  
Inflammatory Processes

The IL-36 subfamily of cytokines has been recently described as part of the IL-1 superfamily. It comprises three pro-inflammatory agonists (IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ), their receptor (IL-36R), and one antagonist (IL-36Ra). Although expressed in a variety of cells, the biological relevance of IL-36 cytokines is most evident in the communication between epithelial cells, dendritic cells, and neutrophils, which constitute the common triad responsible for the initiation, maintenance, and expansion of inflammation. The immunological role of IL-36 cytokines was initially described in studies of psoriasis, but novel evidence demonstrates their involvement in further immune and inflammatory processes in physiological and pathological situations. Preliminary studies have reported a dynamic expression of IL-36 cytokines in the female reproductive tract throughout the menstrual cycle, as well as their association with the production of immune mediators and cellular recruitment in the vaginal microenvironment contributing to host defense. In pregnancy, alteration of the placental IL-36 axis has been reported upon infection and pre-eclampsia suggesting its pivotal role in the regulation of maternal immune responses. In this review, we summarize current knowledge regarding the regulatory mechanisms and biological actions of IL-36 cytokines, their participation in different inflammatory conditions, and the emerging data on their potential role in normal and complicated pregnancies.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Reproductive Tract Cytokines in Post-partum Beef Cows Relating to Reproductive Microbiota and Fertility Outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca K. Poole ◽  
Taylor B. Ault-Seay ◽  
Rebecca R. Payton ◽  
Phillip R. Myer ◽  
Andrea S. Lear ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor Beta ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Transrectal Ultrasound ◽  
Beef Cows ◽  
Pregnancy Status ◽  
Uterine Diseases

The activity of the immune system in the reproductive tract has been proven to be crucial in the response to uterine diseases, normal reproductive functions, and tolerance to the allogeneic fetus during pregnancy. The objectives of the current study were to (1) evaluate uterine and vaginal cytokine concentrations in postpartum cows undergoing estrus synchronization followed by timed artificial insemination (TAI) and (2) correlate bacterial communities with cytokine concentrations. Postpartum Angus cows (n = 20) were subjected to a 7-Day Co-Synch protocol with pre-synchronization beginning 21 days prior (d −21) to TAI (d 0). Uterine and vaginal flushes were collected on d −21 and −2. Pregnancy was determined by transrectal ultrasound on d 30. Cytokines include interleukin (IL)-1b, IL-6, IL-10, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and immunoglobin A (IgA) and concentrations were determined by commercial ELISA kits. No differences by day or pregnancy status in cytokine concentrations were detected in vaginal samples. No differences by day or pregnancy status in IgA, IL-10, or IL-1b concentrations were detected in uterine samples. Overall TGF-β concentrations in the uterus were greater in resulting pregnant than non-pregnant cows (44.0 ± 13.4 pg/mL vs. 14.7 ± 4.9 pg/mL; P = 0.047). Uterine TGF-β was correlated with the relative abundance of genera Treponema (r = −0.668; P = 0.049) in resulting non-pregnant cows on d −21 and with the relative abundance of genera Ureaplasma (r = 0.901; P = 0.0004) in resulting pregnant cows on d −2. In resulting pregnant animals, a tendency for a strong correlation was detected between d −2 progesterone concentrations and uterine TGF-β concentrations (r = 0.591, P = 0.07). Overall IL-6 concentrations in the uterus were greater in resulting non-pregnant than pregnant cows (198.7 ± 21.8 pg/mL vs. 144.3 ± 16.1 pg/mL; P = 0.045). A correlation was also detected between uterine IL-6 concentrations and the relative abundance of genera Butyrivibrio (r = 0.742; P = 0.022) in resulting non-pregnant cows on d −21. These results suggest possible relationships between different bacterial communities and cytokine concentrations within the uterus of beef cattle prior to TAI that may ultimately affect fertility outcomes.

scholarly journals Vitamin D3 Controls TLR4- and TLR2-Mediated Inflammatory Responses of Endometrial Cells

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Alireza Ghanavatinejad ◽  
Nesa Rashidi ◽  
Mahroo Mirahmadian ◽  
Simin Rezania ◽  
Mahdokht Mosalaei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Endometrial Stromal Cells ◽  
Endometrial Cells ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Tract Infections

<b><i>Objectives:</i></b> Vitamin D has potent immunoregulatory features and modulates innate and adaptive immune responses. There is a significant association between intrauterine infection-associated inflammatory responses and pregnancy complications such as abortion and preterm labor. Here, we investigated how 1,25 (OH)2 D3 could modulate inflammatory responses of endometrial cells. <b><i>Design:</i></b> This is an in vitro experimental study. Endometrial stromal cells (ESCs) and whole endometrial cells (WECs) were collected from 15 apparently normal women, and the immunomodulatory effects of 1,25 (OH)2 D3 on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- or lipoteichoic acid (LTA)-treated ESCs and WECs were investigated. <b><i>Participants/Materials, Setting, and Methods:</i></b> Women with no history of abortion, infertility, endometriosis, or sign of vaginal infection were enrolled in this study. Endometrial samples were collected by gynecologists using a Pipelle pipette in the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle. WECs and ESCs were collected and treated with either LPS or LTA. The levels of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α in culture supernatants were quantified using the ELISA technique. TLR2, TLR4, and MyD88 expressions were assessed by RT-qPCR. TLR4 expression at the protein level was studied by the Western blot technique. <b><i>Results:</i></b> 1,25 Dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25 (OH)2 D3) significantly reduced TNF-α production in LPS-activated ESCs and TNF-α and IL-6 production by LTA-stimulated WECs. In contrast, 1,25 (OH)2 D3 pretreatment increased the production of IL-8 by LPS- and LTA-stimulated endometrial cells. 1,25 (OH)2 D3 pretreatment markedly reduced LPS-induced TLR4 protein expression by ESCs. LPS treatment of ESCs significantly induced MyD88 gene expression. This effect was reversed when these cells were pretreated with 1,25 (OH)2 D3 before stimulation with LPS. <b><i>Limitations:</i></b> Because of the small size of samples, doing experiments all together on some samples was not feasible. Confirmation of the results obtained here needs well-designed in vivo studies. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> 1,25 (OH)2 D3 is an immunomodulatory molecule essential for maintaining endometrial immune homeostasis by controlling potentially harmful inflammatory responses associated with female reproductive tract infections.

scholarly journals Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in the Female Reproductive Tract of the Rat: Influence of Progesterone on Infectivity and Immune Response

1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 893-898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charu Kaushic ◽  
Andrew D. Murdin ◽  
Brian J. Underdown ◽  
Charles R. Wira
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Chlamydia Trachomatis ◽  
Mhc Class Ii ◽  
Lymphocyte Proliferation ◽  
Chlamydial Infection ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Transmitted Disease ◽  
Class Ii ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract

ABSTRACT As the most common cause of sexually transmitted disease in women, chlamydial infections can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy. To better understand the role played by sex hormones in modulating the immune response of the genital tract to microbial infections, we have developed a rat model to studyChlamydia trachomatis infection. Inbred female Lewis rats were primed with progesterone and inoculated by intrauterine instillation of C. trachomatis (mouse pneumonitis strain MoPn) into each uterine horn. When infected animals were examined for the presence of chlamydial antigens 14 days postinfection, both the uterus and vagina were found to be positive compared to those of saline-treated animals, which did not show specific staining. The involvement of local and systemic immune systems following chlamydial infection was determined by analyzing major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II expression in the reproductive tract and lymphocyte proliferation in response to mitogenic and chlamydia-specific stimulation of cells from the spleen and lymph nodes (LN) draining the reproductive tract. Enhanced proliferation was observed in LN following mitogenic but not antigenic (MOMP [major outer membrane protein]) stimulation. In contrast, spleen cell proliferation was lower in chlamydia-infected rats than in saline-treated controls. MHC class II expression, an indicator of inflammatory responses, was upregulated in the uterus, on glandular epithelial cells, and adjacent to glands in response to chlamydial infection. In other experiments, when rats were infected at estrus and diestrus without prior progesterone priming, chlamydial inclusions were not detected in either the uterus or vagina. However, enhanced lymphocyte proliferation was observed in response to mitogenic and MOMP stimulation in the reproductive tract-draining LN from estrous and diestrous animals. These findings indicate that under appropriate endocrine conditions, the rat uterus is susceptible to C. trachomatisinfection and that immune responses to this pathogen can be detected locally and systemically. Further, they suggest that clearance of the infection from the reproductive tract involves immune cells from the LN draining the reproductive tract.

Uterine Fibroids: Bridging Genomic Defects and Chronic Inflammation

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (06) ◽  
pp. 494-498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdeljabar El Andaloussi ◽  
Zuni Chaudhry ◽  
Ayman Al-Hendy ◽  
Nahed Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Uterine Fibroids ◽  
The United States ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Driver Mutations ◽  
Benign Tumors ◽  
Med12 Gene ◽  
Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding

AbstractUterine fibroids (UF; aka leiomyoma, myomas) are the most common benign tumors of female reproductive tract. They are highly prevalent, with 70 to 80% of women burdened by the end of their reproductive years. Fibroids are a leading cause of pelvic pain, abnormal vaginal bleeding, pelvic bulk symptoms, miscarriage, and infertility. They are the leading indication for hysterectomy, and costs exceed 34 billion dollars annually in the United States alone. Recently, somatic mutations in exons 1 and 2 of Med12 gene emerged as common UF driver mutations. Unfortunately, the detailed etiology of UF is not fully realized. Particularly, very little is known about possible dysregulation of inflammatory and immune processes and their possible contribution to UF pathogenesis. The notion on possible impact of altered estrogen and progesterone signaling in UF on inflammatory responses and DNA repair machinery that can conceivably lead to tumor-specific somatic mutation is indeed an intriguing concept which has some foundation in available observation in other hormonally responsive tissues. This review highlights and summarizes our current knowledge on the convergence of such pathways and their relevance for UF pathogenesis.

Uterine eosinophils and reproductive performance in interleukin 5-deficient mice

Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 423-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
SA Robertson ◽  
VJ Mau ◽  
IG Young ◽  
KI Matthaei
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Reproductive Tract ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Female Reproductive Tract ◽  
Oestrous Cycle ◽  
Tissue Remodelling ◽  
Interleukin 5 ◽  
Deficient Mice

Interleukin 5 is expressed in type 2 T lymphocytes and has a key role in driving the differentiation, recruitment and activation of eosinophils. Mice with a null mutation in the interleukin 5 gene (IL-5 -/- mice) have altered type 2 immune responses and severely depleted eosinophil populations. In the present study, the effect of interleukin 5 deficiency on the abundant population of eosinophils present in the female reproductive tract was investigated, and the reproductive performance in C57Bl/6 IL-5 -/- mice was measured. Endometrial eosinophils, detected on the basis of their endogenous peroxidase activity, were reduced in number by four-sevenfold during the oestrous cycle and in early pregnancy in IL-5 -/- mice. Eosinophils present in the cervix and decidual tissues at the time of parturition were similarly diminished. The temporal fluctuations in eosinophil recruitment and localization within these tissues were otherwise unchanged, indicating that interleukin 5 is not a necessary chemotactic agent in the female reproductive tract. Oestrous cycles were moderately greater in duration in IL-5 -/- mice (mean +/- SD = 5.6 +/- 1.0 days in IL-5 -/- mice versus 5.0 +/- 0.8 days in IL-5 +/+ mice), owing to an extended period in oestrus (2.7 +/- 0.9 days per cycle in IL-5 -/- mice versus 1.8 +/- 0.7 in IL-5 +/+ mice). The interval between placing females with males and the finding of copulatory plugs was reduced significantly in interleukin 5-deficient mice. Implantation rates and subsequent fetal development were comparable in IL-5 -/- and IL-5 +/+ mice, irrespective of whether pregnancies were sired by syngeneic (C57Bl/6) or allogeneic (CBA or Balb/c) males, apart from a 10% increase in placental size and a 6.5% decrease in placental∶fetal ratio seen on day 17 in pregnancies sired by CBA males. Parturition and post-partum uterine repair were not compromised in interleukin 5-deficient mice, as judged by the length of gestation, and the outcomes of pregnancies initiated at post-partum oestrus. The birth weights and growth trajectories of pups were significantly influenced by interleukin 5 status, with small but significant increases in the weights of IL-5 -/- pups, particularly C57Bl/6 and CBA F(1) animals, remaining evident until adulthood. These data are consistent with the view that eosinophils have a role in endometrial tissue remodelling associated with the oestrous cycle, but indicate that the events of pregnancy and parturition proceed quite normally in the absence of maternal and fetal interleukin 5. However, strain-dependent effects of interleukin 5 deficiency on placental growth and function and subsequent weight gain in the newborn indicate that this cytokine may act through the maternal or fetal immune axis to exert subtle influences on reproductive outcome.

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