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Mol Cell Endocrinol 2021 Mar 4;528:111212. Epub 2021 Mar 4.

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA; Institute for Reproduction and Perinatal Research, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA. Electronic address:

Follicle development beyond the preantral stage is dependent on gonadotropins. FSH signaling is crucial for the advancement of preantral follicles to the antral stage, and LH signaling is essential for further maturation of preovulatory follicles. Estrogen is intricately tied to gonadotropin signaling during the advanced stages of folliculogenesis. Read More

Gene Expr Patterns 2021 Mar 3;40:119169. Epub 2021 Mar 3.

Reproductive and Molecular Biology Group, Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address:

Anti-Müllerian hormone (Amh) is a member of the transforming growth factor-β (Tgf-β) superfamily required in the regression of Müllerian ducts during gonadal sex differentiation of higher vertebrates. Teleost fish lack Müllerian ducts, but identified Amh orthologs have been shown to exert crucial functions during sex determination and differentiation of several species of teleosts. However, the function of Amh during gametogenesis in adult fish remains poorly investigated. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2021 May 7;137:111349. Epub 2021 Feb 7.

Department of Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt.

Blue-green microalga Spirulina platensis (SP) gained more attention for its antioxidant and/or anti-inflammatory properties magnifying its beneficial effects as a feed additive and for cosmetic and biomedical applications. This study was performed to examine the impact of SP on the cutaneous wound and burn healing and to develop an understanding of the correlation between the sequelae of wound healing and the molecular expression patterns of wound healing-related genes as angiogenic basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and fibrosis-related genes as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) in rat wound models. To achieve these goals, two experiments were performed on 32 Wister male rats that were divided into 4 groups of 8 rats each. Read More

Aquat Toxicol 2021 Jan 29;232:105767. Epub 2021 Jan 29.

Escola de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Anhembi Morumbi - R. Dr. Almeida Lima, 1134 - Parque da Mooca, 03164-000, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. Electronic address:

Pharmaceutical products can act as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), affecting the physiological processes of animals, such as development or reproduction. This study aimed to investigate the influence of different concentrations of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) diclofenac (DCF) and ibuprofen (IBU) alone and mixed (MIX) on gonadotropin gene expression and gonadal steroid release using Astyanax lacustris pituitary and testes explant systems, respectively. The explant organs were maintained for 12 h in Leibovitz (L-15) medium supplemented with 0, 0. Read More

Hum Cell 2021 Mar 4;34(2):300-309. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.

Human ovarian follicular fluid (HOFF) contains proteins, extracellular matrixes necessary for growth and maturation of oocytes as well as granulosa cells. Epithelial cells and stem cells can be isolated from HOFF. However, information regarding stem cells derived from HOFF is still lacking. Read More

Cancers (Basel) 2020 Dec 31;13(1). Epub 2020 Dec 31.

Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Uppsala University, Dag Hammarskjöldsväg 20, 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden.

Here, we report the investigation of transforming growth factor beta-receptor 3 like (TGFBR3L), an uncharacterised pituitary specific membrane protein, in non-neoplastic anterior pituitary gland and pituitary neuroendocrine tumours. A polyclonal antibody produced within the Human Protein Atlas project (HPA074356) was used for TGFBR3L staining and combined with SF1 and FSH for a 3-plex fluorescent protocol, providing more details about the cell lineage specificity of TGFBR3L expression. A cohort of 230 pituitary neuroendocrine tumours were analysed. Read More

Hum Reprod 2020 Dec;35(12):2793-2807

Pôle de Recherche en Gynécologie, Institut de Recherche Expérimentale et Clinique, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.

Study Question: Can human theca cells (TCs) be differentiated in vitro?

Summary Answer: It is possible to differentiate human TCs in vitro using a medium supplemented with growth factors and hormones.

What Is Known Already: There are very few studies on the origin of TCs in mammalian ovaries. Precursor TCs have been described in neonatal mice ovaries, which can differentiate into TCs under the influence of factors from oocytes and granulosa cells (GCs). Read More

Hum Reprod 2021 Jan;36(1):175-188

Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.

Study Question: What is the underlying neuropathology in a cynomolgus macaque model of functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea (FHA) and can it be normalized to restore ovulation?

Summary Answer: Anovulatory monkeys exhibited increased hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE), kisspeptin and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in the early follicular phase, but administration of the NE reuptake inhibitor (NRI), reboxetine (REB), restored ovulation during stress and normalized NE, kisspeptin and GnRH.

What Is Known Already: Female cynomolgus macaques, like women, show individual reproductive sensitivity to modest psychosocial and metabolic stress. During stress, resilient females ovulate through two menstrual cycles whereas stress-sensitive (SS) macaques immediately cease ovulation. Read More

BMC Vet Res 2020 Dec 14;16(1):485. Epub 2020 Dec 14.

College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Hunan University of Humanities, Science and Technology, Road Dingxing 7#, Loudi City, 417000, HuNan Province, China.

Background: Follicular development is crucial to normal oocyte maturation, with follicular size closely related to oocyte maturation. To better understand the molecular mechanisms behind porcine oocyte maturation, we obtained exosomal miRNA from porcine follicular fluid (PFF). These miRNA samples were then sequenced and analyzed regarding their different follicular sizes, as described in the methods section. Read More

J Dairy Sci 2021 Feb 30;104(2):1384-1393. Epub 2020 Nov 30.

Department of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul, 02841, Korea. Electronic address:

Chronic stress can cause psychological diseases and affect male fertility and the reproductive system. Maillard reaction of milk proteins improves their functional and nutritional properties through modification of proteins. Previously, we determined that Maillard reaction product (MRP) from milk casein and MRP fermented (FMRP) with Lactobacillus rhamnosus 4B15 (4B15) had anti-anxiolytic effects in mice under chronic stress. Read More

Res Vet Sci 2021 Mar 2;135:432-441. Epub 2020 Nov 2.

Laboratory of Manipulation of Oocytes and Preantral Follicles, Faculty of Veterinary, State University of Ceara, Itaperi Campus, 60740-903 Fortaleza, CE, Brazil. Electronic address:

Ethanol is used routinely to dilute cell culture media supplements with little or no water solubility. This study evaluates the effect of low concentration of ethanol on the follicular development, oocyte maturation, hormone production, gene expression, and metabolomics profile of spent culture medium after long-term culture of isolated ovine preantral follicles. For this, follicles were cultured for 18 days in α-Minimum Essential Medium alone (control treatment) or supplemented with 100 ng/mL recombinant bovine FSH (rbFSH treatment) or with 0. Read More

J Nanobiotechnology 2020 Nov 7;18(1):161. Epub 2020 Nov 7.

Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200011, China.

Background: Most cancers favor glycolytic-based glucose metabolism. Hexokinase-2 (HK2), the first glycolytic rate-limiting enzyme, shows limited expression in normal adult tissues but is overexpressed in many tumor tissues, including ovarian cancer. HK2 has been shown to be correlated with the progression and chemoresistance of ovarian cancer and could be a therapeutic target. Read More

Free Radic Biol Med 2021 Jan 29;162:353-366. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, 44519, Zagazig, Egypt. Electronic address:

Gasotrasmitters are endogenously synthesized gaseous molecules that are engaged in cellular physiological and pathological processes. Stress influences various physiological aspects of an organism and amends a normal system's functions, including those of the reproductive system. This study aims to investigate the effect of long-term exposure to restraint stress on the male reproductive system as well as the possible impact of stress on the levels of nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen sulfide (HS), and the expression of their producing-enzymes. Read More

J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2021 Jan;106(2):e534-e550

Red de Apoyo a la Investigación, National University of Mexico-Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico.

Context: Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays an essential role in gonadal function. Loss-of-function mutations in the follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) are an infrequent cause of primary ovarian failure.

Objective: To analyze the molecular physiopathogenesis of a novel mutation in the FSHR identified in a woman with primary ovarian failure, employing in vitro and in silico approaches, and to compare the features of this dysfunctional receptor with those shown by the trafficking-defective D408Y FSHR mutant. Read More

Dev Reprod 2020 Sep 30;24(3):149-158. Epub 2020 Sep 30.

Dept. of Aquatic Life Medical Sciences, Sunmoon University, Asan 31460, Korea.

Kisspeptin, expressed mainly in the hypothalamus, stimulates gonadotropin-releasing hormone neurons to facilitate reproduction. In some model animals, the kisspeptin is also expressed in the pituitary. Recently, a pathway has been suggested in which kisspeptin acts directly on the pituitary to secretion of gonadotropin in mammals. Read More

Endocrinology 2020 12;161(12)

Centre of Reproduction, Development and Aging (CRDA), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau, China.

Inhibin was first characterized in mammals as a gonadal dimeric protein that inhibited pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion. As in mammals, the inhibin-specific α subunit (INHA/Inha/inha) has also been characterized in teleosts; however, its functions and physiological importance in fish reproduction remain unknown. Using CRISPR/Cas9 method, we generated an inha-deficient zebrafish line and analyzed its reproductive performance. Read More

Heliyon 2020 Sep 21;6(9):e05006. Epub 2020 Sep 21.

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Modern University for Technology and Information, 11 Saudia Buildings, Nozha Street, 11371, Cairo, Egypt.

Platelet rich plasma contains a collection of growth factors, and an optimal formulation, named O-rPRP, contains the highest possible concentration of growth factors.

Purpose: Challenging the healing power of O-rPRP in a high-galactose diet-induced premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) experimental rat model.

Methods: Rats were divided into four groups of ten rats each and treated for four week as follows; 1) the control group, fed with normal diet and received intraperitoneal (i. Read More

BMC Genomics 2020 Sep 29;21(1):668. Epub 2020 Sep 29.

Hakatajima Field Station, Fisheries Technology Institute, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Kinoura, Imabari, Ehime, 794-2305, Japan.

Background: The clupeoid fishes are ecologically and commercially important fish species worldwide that exhibit a high level of population fluctuation, accompanied by alteration of reproductive traits. However, knowledge about their reproductive physiology in order to understand mechanisms underlying such population dynamics is limited. The endocrine system along with the brain-pituitary-gonadal (BPG) axis is critical for regulating reproduction. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Sep 27;21(19). Epub 2020 Sep 27.

Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy.

Different Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) formulation and Luteinizing Hormone (LH) are used in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) to induce follicles development and oocytes maturation, but it is still under debate which protocol is to be preferred. In the present study, the different effects on cumulus cells (CCs) of three controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) protocols, based on urinary FSH, recombinant FSH, or human Menopausal Gonadotropin (hMG) administration, were assessed. CCs were obtained from 42 normal-responders women undergoing COS, randomly divided into three groups according to the used gonadotropin formulation. Read More

Int J Mol Sci 2020 Sep 21;21(18). Epub 2020 Sep 21.

The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3, 03-105 Jabłonna, Poland.

An acute and prolonged inflammation inhibits the reproduction process by the disruption of the neurohormonal activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. It is thought that these changes may be caused by proinflammatory cytokines, i.e. Read More

Theriogenology 2020 Dec 11;158:138-147. Epub 2020 Sep 11.

Department of Animal Physiology, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, Instytucka 3 St, 05-110, Jablonna, Poland. Electronic address:

Reproductive functions may be affected by internal and external factors that are integrated in the central nervous system (CNS). Stressful stimuli induce the neuroendocrine response of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, as well as the synthesis of the neurosteroid allopregnanolone (AL) in the brain. This study tested the hypothesis that centrally administered AL could affect the expression of certain genes involved in reproductive functions at the hypothalamus and pituitary levels, as well as pulsatile gonadotropin secretion in sheep under both natural and stressful conditions. Read More

Mol Reprod Dev 2020 10 6;87(10):1082-1096. Epub 2020 Sep 6.

Department of Animal Science, McGill University, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Qubec, Canada.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) regulates ovarian follicular development through a specific gene expression program. We analyzed FSH-regulated transcriptome and histone modification in granulosa cells during follicular development. We used super-stimulated immature mice and collected granulosa cells before and 48 h after stimulation with equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG). Read More

Poult Sci 2020 Sep 20;99(9):4586-4597. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address:

Reproductive failure associated with heat stress is a well-known phenomenon in poultry. High temperatures also induce various metabolic disturbances in many animals. Because the liver plays a central role in metabolism, the present study aimed to clarify the relationship between liver and reproduction in Japanese quails exposed to high temperatures. Read More

Iran J Basic Med Sci 2020 May;23(5):576-585

Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

Objectives: One of the major endocrine-disrupting chemicals, bisphenol-S (BPS) has replaced bisphenol-A due to public health anxiety. The present study evaluated low dosage BPS effect on female reproductive potential, hormonal disruption, and gene expression pathways of blastocyst-derived cells.

Materials And Methods: NMRI female mice (5-6 weeks) in the estrous stage were chosen following vaginal smear examination for estrus cycle detection and BPS (0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 µg/kg) was administrated subcutaneously for twenty-one consecutive days. Read More

Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020 12 18;299:113555. Epub 2020 Jul 18.

Instituto de Acuicultura Torre de la Sal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Ribera de Cabanes s/n, 12595 Castelló, Spain. Electronic address:

Understanding the differential roles of the pituitary gonadotropins Fsh and Lh in gonad maturation is crucial for a successful manipulation of the reproductive process in fish, and requires species-specific tools and appropriate active hormones. With the increasing availability of fish cDNAs coding for gonadotropin subunits, the production of recombinant hormones in heterologous systems has gradually substituted the approach of isolating native hormones. These recombinant hormones can be continually produced without depending on the fish as starting material and no cross-contamination with other pituitary glycoproteins is assured. Read More

Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020 11 18;298:113554. Epub 2020 Jul 18.

Institute of Aquatic Economic Animals and Guangdong Province Key Laboratory for Aquatic Economic Animals, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China; Biology Department, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, PR China. Electronic address:

Estrogens play important regulatory roles in the pituitary of vertebrates. Two forms of estrogen receptor 2 (Esr2), namely Esr2a and Esr2b, are identified in teleosts, but their differential roles remain to be fully elucidated. In the present study, expression and potential functional roles of Esr2a and Esr2b were characterized in ricefield eels. Read More

Reprod Sci 2020 10 2;27(10):1873-1878. Epub 2020 Jul 2.

The C. S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA.

To investigate whether recombinant AMH (rAMH) is able to decrease cellular proliferation/apoptosis in luteinized granulosa cells (GCs) through hormonal regulation, a primary culture of GCs was established from GCs obtained at time of oocyte retrieval from follicular fluid of 3 patients. Cells were seeded in well cell culture plates at a density of 100,000 cells/well in medium and treated with rAMH 20 ng/ml (rAMH group), or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS-control group), for 24 h. Total RNA was extracted from all cells, followed by cDNA synthesis and real-time RT-PCR to quantify the expression levels of AMH, AMH-R2, FSH-R, inhibin B, cell proliferation (Ki67), and apoptosis (Caspase 3). Read More

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2020 Sep 2;27(25):31357-31368. Epub 2020 Jun 2.

Institute of Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001, China.

To study the alleviating effects of flavonoids from Cuscuta chinensis (CCFs) on ovary injury in female offspring of pregnant mice exposed to BPA, five groups (n = 20) of pregnant mice were intragastrically administrated with BPA (5 mg/kg/day) and CCFs (20 mg/kg/day, 30 mg/kg/day, 40 mg/kg/day) at pregnancy days 1-18. The ovaries and serum of F1 female mice were collected at postnatal day (PND) 21 and PND 56 for the detection of related indicators. The ovarian and testicular histomorphologies were observed with hematoxylin-eosin staining (H&E). Read More

J Assist Reprod Genet 2020 Jun 5;37(6):1441-1448. Epub 2020 May 5.

Reproductive Medicine Center, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medicine College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 JieFang Avenue, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China.

Objective: To characterize the clinical features of a female patient with isolated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) deficiency and to investigate the underlying mechanisms of FSH inactivation.

Methods: The proband was a 29-year-old woman with primary amenorrhea, impaired pubertal development, and infertility. Subsequently, reproductive endocrine was screened. Read More

J Endocr Soc 2020 Apr 16;4(4):bvaa034. Epub 2020 Mar 16.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.

Adult-type granulosa cell tumors (AGCTs) are sex-cord derived neoplasms with a propensity for late relapse. Hormonal modulators have been used empirically in the treatment of recurrent AGCT, albeit with limited success. To provide a more rigorous foundation for hormonal therapy in AGCT, we used a multimodal approach to characterize the expressions of key hormone biomarkers in 175 tumor specimens and 51 serum samples using RNA sequencing, immunohistochemistry, RNA hybridization, quantitative PCR, and circulating biomarker analysis, and correlated these results with clinical data. Read More