scholarly journals Quantitative analysis of changes in endometrial gland morphology during the bovine oestrous cycle and their association with progesterone levels

Reproduction ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 365-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
C K Wang ◽  
R S Robinson ◽  
A P F Flint ◽  
G E Mann

This study describes a digital technique for uterine morphometry and its application to endometrial structure during the bovine oestrous cycle. Neither the number nor the size of uterine gland ducts changed during the cycle but a reduction in total endometrial area from days 0 to 8 after oestrus led to an increase in the proportion of the endometrium occupied by gland ducts (gland duct density). This effect on day 8 was maintained to day 16. When endometrial morphology was related to circulating progesterone concentrations on days 5 and 8 of the luteal phase, no relationships were found on day 5, but on day 8, a high progesterone concentration was associated with an increased number of gland ducts. Furthermore, in animals slaughtered on day 8, a high progesterone concentration on day 5 was associated with decreased gland duct size, though a simultaneous decrease in endometrial area led to an increase in gland duct density. The results suggest that contrary to expectation, endometrial glands do not grow and regress during the oestrous cycle, although cyclic changes in endometrial area controlled by progesterone lead to changes in gland duct density.

1987 ◽  
Vol 112 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Ashworth ◽  
I. Wilmut ◽  
A. J. Springbett ◽  
R. Webb

ABSTRACT The effect of an inhibitor of 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase on peripheral progesterone concentration during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle and on embryo survival was determined in sheep. Following administration of 10, 50, 100 or 250 mg epostane (4,5-epoxy-17-hydroxy-4,17,dimethyl-3-oxo-androstane-2-carbonitrile) progesterone concentrations were significantly lower than control levels 4 h after injection, from 2·5 to 22 h, 1·5 to 24 h and 1 to 24 h after injection respectively. There appeared to be no effect on peripheral oestradiol concentrations. Adrenal progesterone production was small and not influenced by epostane treatment. Epostane was administered on day 9 of the oestrous cycle to cause a reduction in progesterone concentrations for approximately 12-18 h on day 9 only (group 1, 250 mg epostane on day 9), or a series of such reductions on 3 consecutive days (group 2, 50 mg epostane on days 9, 10 and 11) or a continuous reduction for 3 days (group 3, 250 mg epostane on days 9, 10 and 11). The proportion of ewes that were pregnant was significantly (P<0·05) lower in ewes treated to give a continuously low progesterone concentration for 3 days than in either controls or ewes in which progesterone concentration was reduced for less than 24 h (in controls and groups 1, 2 and 3 the proportion was 85, 92, 54 and 18% of ewes treated respectively). Embryo survival was not affected by administration of 250 mg epostane on days 9, 10 and 11 if luteal phase levels of progesterone were maintained by insertion of a silicone elastomer implant of the steroid. The proportion of embryos surviving was 72% in controls compared with 78% in the treated animals. J. Endocr. (1987) 112, 205–213


1973 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 219-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. P. McNATTY ◽  
K. J. A. REVFEIM ◽  
A. YOUNG

SUMMARY Progesterone concentrations in peripheral plasma were measured once daily during one oestrous cycle in each of eight sheep. In addition, on days 4–5, 8–9, 12–13 and 15–16 of the oestrous cycle, blood samples were collected at 30-min intervals throughout each 24-h period. A total of three ewes was sampled in each 24-h period and the same three animals were not bled again for at least 1 week. Plasma progesterone concentrations in all the ewes fluctuated considerably throughout each 24-h period. The within-sheep within-day variations observed in peripheral progesterone concentrations were compared with the between-sheep within-day variations and the within-sheep between-day variations previously reported. It is concluded that these previously reported variations in peripheral plasma progesterone concentration could be attributed to within-day variations in each animal. On days 8–9 and 12–13 of the oestrous cycle there were significantly higher concentrations of progesterone in plasma during the hours of daylight than during the hours of darkness. In contrast, progesterone concentrations on days 4–5 and 15–16 were not found to be significantly different between the hours of daylight and darkness. These results suggest that diurnal changes in peripheral plasma progesterone concentration occur during the luteal phase of the ovine oestrous cycle.


1980 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. H. CAKE ◽  
F. J. OWEN ◽  
S. D. BRADSHAW

The plasma progesterone concentrations during pregnancy and the oestrous cycle of the quokka were measured daily after each had been initiated by the removal of pouch young. Progesterone levels ranged from 0·6 ng/ml in the early stages of the oestrous cycle to about 2·5 ng/ml at the peak of the luteal phase. There was no significant difference between pregnant and non-pregnant states before the removal of the pouch young nor in the latter half of the cycle. However, the plasma progesterone concentration on days 3–4 after removal of the pouch young was significantly greater in pregnant animals when compared with nonpregnant animals at the same stage and also when compared with the levels before removal of young. This early peak in the concentration of progesterone in peripheral plasma is discussed in relation to the development of the previously dormant blastocyst.


1969 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. D. THORBURN ◽  
J. M. BASSETT ◽  
I. D. SMITH

SUMMARY Using a protein-binding technique, progesterone concentrations in peripheral plasma (jugular vein) were measured throughout the oestrous cycle of 24 ewes. Examination of the specificity of the method by thin-layer chromatography indicated that interference from other steroids was not significant in sheep plasma. During the first 4 days of the cycle (days 0–3), plasma progesterone concentrations were below 0·4 ng./ml., increasing to a mean level of 1·5–2·5 ng./ml. between days 4 and 9, and remaining at this level for approximately 5 days, before declining rapidly on days 14 and 15 to reach a low level on the day before oestrus. The progesterone concentration on the day of oestrus was extremely low (0·1 ng./ml.), and was of the same order as that found in the plasma of wethers and anoestrous or ovariectomized ewes. Three ewes, superovulated with pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin, showed marked elevation of peripheral progesterone concentration during the luteal phase of the cycle, the concentration being proportional to the number of corpora lutea formed.


1973 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 477 ◽  
Author(s):  
CD Shorey ◽  
RL Hughes

Following ovulation, which usually takes place on day 1 of the 26-day oestrous cycle in T. culpecula, a single corpus luteum begins to develop. During the period before the uterine luteal phase begins on day 8 of the cycle, the granulosa lutein cells are active in the synthesis of what appears to be a cholesterol-like substance at a time when the ovarian secretion rates of progesterone are re!atively low. The uterine luteal phase extends from day 8 to day 15 of the cycle. During this phase the ovarian secretion rates of progesterone are relatively high, and reach maximal levels on days 12-1 3. This high secretory activity is manifested in the granulosa lutein cells by an apparent increase in the number of mitochondria, thought to be involved with the conversion of intracellularly stored cholesterol to pregnenolone, and the development of whorl-like configurations of agranular reticulum which are reported to be concerned with the conversion of pregnenolone to progesterone. A drop in progesterone concentration commences in pregnant and non-pregnant females on day 17 of the cycle, when early involution of the corpus luteunl is apparent. By day 20, the corpus luteum regresses to an early corpus albicans, and the ovarian secretion rate of progesterone falls progressively to levels similar to those in anoestrous females.


Reproduction ◽  
2000 ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
SD Johnston ◽  
MR McGowan ◽  
P O'Callaghan ◽  
R Cox ◽  
V Nicolson

As an integral part of the development of an artificial insemination programme in the captive koala, female reproductive physiology and behaviour were studied. The oestrous cycle in non-mated and mated koalas was characterized by means of behavioural oestrus, morphology of external genitalia and changes in the peripheral plasma concentrations of oestradiol and progestogen. The mean (+/- SEM) duration of the non-mated oestrous cycle and duration of oestrus in 12 koalas was 32.9 +/- 1.1 (n = 22) and 10.3 +/- 0.9 (n = 24) days, respectively. Although the commencement of oestrous behaviour was associated with increasing or high concentrations of oestradiol, there were no consistent changes in the morphology or appearance of the clitoris, pericloacal region, pouch or mammary teats that could be used to characterize the non-mated cycle. As progestogen concentrations remained at basal values throughout the interoestrous period, non-mated cycles were considered non-luteal and presumed anovulatory. After mating of the 12 koalas, six females gave birth with a mean (+/- SEM) gestation of 34.8 +/- 0.3 days, whereas the remaining six non-parturient females returned to oestrus 49.5 +/- 1. 0 days later. After mating, oestrous behaviour ceased and the progestogen profile showed a significant increase in both pregnant and non-parturient females, indicating that a luteal phase had been induced by the physical act of mating. Progestogen concentrations throughout the luteal phase of the pregnant females were significantly higher than those of non-parturient females. Parturition was associated with a decreasing concentration of progestogen, which was increased above that of basal concentrations until 7 days post partum.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 454
Author(s):  
Jaime Palomino ◽  
Javiera Flores ◽  
Georges Ramirez ◽  
Victor H. Parraguez ◽  
Monica De los Reyes

The gene expression in the canine oviduct, where oocyte maturation, fertilization, and early embryonic development occur, is still elusive. This study determined the oviductal expression of (PR), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF-9), and bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15) during the canine oestrous cycle. Samples were collected from bitches at anoestrus (9), proestrus (7), oestrus (8), and dioestrus (11), after routine ovariohysterectomy and the ovarian surface structures and plasma progesterone concentration evaluated the physiological status of each donor. The oviductal cells were isolated and pooled. Total RNA was isolated, and gene expression was assessed by qPCR followed by analysis using the t-test and ANOVA. The PR mRNA increased (P < 0.05) from the anoestrus to dioestrus with the plasma progesterone concentration (r = 0.8). COX-2 mRNA expression was low in the anoestrus and proestrus, and negligible in the oestrus, while it was around 10-fold higher (P < 0.05) in the dioestrus. The GDF-9 mRNA was expressed during all phases of the oestrous cycle and was most abundant (P < 0.05) during oestrus phase. The BMP-15 mRNA decreased (P < 0.05) in the anoestrus and proestrus phases. Thus, the transcripts were differentially expressed in a stage-dependent manner, suggesting the importance of oestrous cycle regulation for successful reproduction in dogs.


1989 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. E. Horton ◽  
H. Francis ◽  
I. J. Clarke

ABSTRACT The natural opioid ligand, β-endorphin, and the opioid antagonist, naloxone, were administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) to evaluate effects on LH secretion in ovariectomized ewes and in ovariectomized ewes treated with oestradiol-17β plus progesterone either during the breeding season or the anoestrous season. Ovary-intact ewes were also studied during the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle. Jugular blood samples were taken at 10-min intervals for 8 h and either saline (20–50 μl), 100 μg naloxone or 10 μg β-endorphin were injected i.c.v. after 4 h. In addition, luteal phase ewes were injected i.c.v. with 25 μg β-endorphin(1–27), a purported endogenous opioid antagonist. In ovariectomized ewes, irrespective of season, saline and naloxone did not affect LH secretion, but β-endorphin decreased the plasma LH concentrations, by reducing LH pulse frequency. The effect of β-endorphin was blocked by administering naloxone 30 min beforehand. Treating ovariectomized ewes with oestradiol-17β plus progesterone during the breeding season reduced plasma LH concentrations from 6–8 μg/l to less than 1 μg/l. In these ewes, saline did not alter LH secretion, but naloxone increased LH pulse frequency and the plasma concentrations of LH within 15–20 min. During anoestrus, the combination of oestradiol-17β plus progesterone to ovariectomized ewes reduced the plasma LH concentrations from 3–5 μg/l to undetectable levels, and neither saline nor naloxone affected LH secretion. During the follicular phase of the oestrous cycle, naloxone enhanced LH pulse frequency, which resulted in increased plasma LH concentrations; saline had no effect. In these sheep, β-endorphin decreased LH pulse frequency and the mean concentrations of LH, and this effect was prevented by the previous administration of naloxone. The i.c.v. administration of β-endorphin(1–27) to luteal phase ewes did not affect LH secretion. These data demonstrate the ability of a naturally occurring opioid peptide to inhibit LH secretion in ewes during the breeding and non-breeding seasons, irrespective of the gonadal steroid background. In contrast, whilst the gonadal steroids suppress LH secretion in ovariectomized ewes during both seasons, they only appear to activate endogenous opioid peptide (EOP)-mediated inhibition of LH secretion during the breeding season. Furthermore, these data support the notion that LH secretion in ovariectomized ewes is not normally under the control of EOP, so that naloxone has no effect. Journal of Endocrinology (1989) 122, 509–517


1989 ◽  
Vol 123 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Mann ◽  
B. K. Campbell ◽  
A. S. McNeilly ◽  
D. T. Baird

ABSTRACT Passive immunization was used to investigate the importance of inhibin in the negative feedback loop regulating the production of FSH in sheep. An antiserum raised to the 1–26 peptide fragment of the N-terminus of the α-chain of porcine inhibin was first shown to neutralize the suppressive effects of inhibin on the production of FSH by dispersed ovine pituitary cells in vitro. Groups of five mature Scottish Blackface ewes on day 8 of the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle were then injected with either 10 ml plasma from normal ewes (control) or 10 ml ovine inhibin antiserum. On day 10, luteal regression was induced by an i.m. injection of cloprostenol (100 μg), and ovulation rate determined 6 days later by laparoscopy. Peripheral plasma samples were collected throughout the experimental period. Following treatment, there was no change in the peripheral plasma concentration of LH in either group. Following injection of the inhibin antiserum, the concentration of FSH rose significantly (P<0·001) compared with the control group. The concentration of FSH rose from 1·42 ± 0·06 to a maximum of 2·58 ± 0·23 (s.e.m.) μg/l by 5·6 ±0·9 h, this maximum lasting 9·0±1·1 h. By 32·8 ±6·9 h, the concentration of FSH had returned to pretreatment levels, while the titre of free antibody in the plasma of treated ewes was still high. In the treated ewes, there were one single and four double ovulations compared with three single and two double ovulations in the control group, indicating that the inhibin immunization may have resulted in an increase in ovulation rate. We conclude that the marked rise in the plasma concentration of FSH following injection of inhibin antiserum provides strong evidence that inhibin is an important factor in the regulation of FSH production by the pituitary gland at this time. Journal of Endocrinology (1989) 123, 383–391


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-112
Author(s):  
Budianto Panjaitan ◽  
Citra Chyntia Helwana ◽  
Nellita Meutia ◽  
Yusmadi Yusmadi ◽  
Tongku Nizwan Siregar ◽  
...  

ABSTRAK.  Progesteron merupakan hormon yang berperan penting dalam proses pemeliharaan kebuntingan dan dihasilkan oleh corpus luteum. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui hubungan antara kadar hormon progesteron pada fase awal luteal dengan kematian embrio pada sapi Aceh. Dalam penelitian ini digunakan empat ekor sapi betina dewasa berumur 3-5 tahun, bobot badan 150-250 kg, sehat secara klinis, dan memiliki reproduksi normal. Sapi disinkronisasi menggunakan 5 ml prostaglandin F2 alfa (PGF2α) dengan pola penyuntikan ganda berinterval 11 hari. Koleksi sampel darah untuk pengukuran konsentrasi progesteron dilakukan pada hari ke-5, 6, dan 7 pasca inseminasi. Pengukuran konsentrasi progesteron dilakukan menggunakan metode enzymelinked-immunoassay (ELISA), pemeriksaan kebuntingan dan kematian embrio menggunakan metode transrektal ultrasonografi pada hari ke-25 pasca inseminasi. Pemeriksaan diulang setiap 10 hari sampai hari ke-55 pasca inseminasi. Puncak sekresi progesteron pada sapi bunting dengan embrio yang bertahan hidup terdapat pada hari ke-7 (2,082 ng/ml), pada sapi Late Embryonic Mortality (LEM) di hari ke-5 (8,209 ng/ml) dan pada sapi tidak bunting di hari ke-7 (3,051±1,157 ng/ml). Sekresi progesteron sapi LEM pada hari ke-5 sampai dengan ke-7 cenderung menurun sedangkan pada sapi yang bertahan hidup cenderung meningkat.  (Correlation between progesterone levels in early luteal phase and embryonic death  in Aceh cattle) ABSTRACT. Progesterone is an important hormone that functions to maintain pregnancy and is produced by the corpus luteum. The aim of this study was to see a correlation between progesterone and the incidence of embryonic death in Aceh cattle. This study used four adult female cows, 3-5 years old, 150-250 kg body weight, clinically healthy, and have a normal reproduction. The synchronized with 5 ml prostaglandin F2 alfa hormone, and double injection pattern with 11-day intervals. The blood was collected for progesterone measurements on 5th, 6th, 7th day post artificial insemination. Measurement of progesterone concentration was carried out using an enzymelinked-immunoassay (ELISA), while pregnancy and embryo mortality was performed using the trans-rectal ultrasonography method on the 25th day after insemination. The examination was repeated every 10 days until day 55th after insemination. Progesterone secretion peaks in pregnant cows were on day 7th (2.082 ng/ml), in cattle Late Embryonic Mortality (LEM) on day 5th (8.209 ng/ml) and in cattle not pregnant on day 7th (3.051±1.157 ng/ml). The pattern of LEM progesterone secretion on days 5th to 7th tends to decrease while those that survive tend to increase.


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