Effects of chlorpromazine on the onset of puberty and follicular development in immature female rats

Effects of reduction of the number of primordial follicles on follicular development and concentrations of circulating hormones were examined in immature female rat offspring of dams given busulfan intraperitoneally on day 14 of gestation. The offspring of dams treated with 5 mg busulfan kg(-1) showed vaginal opening at an age comparable with the offspring of dams treated with 2.5 mg busulfan kg(-1) or with corn oil as a control, although they exhibited an irregular oestrous cycle until week 14 after birth. The serum concentrations of immunoreactive inhibin and FSH on day 26 after birth of the offspring treated with 5 mg busulfan kg(-1) were similar to those of age-matched controls. On day 15 after birth, however, the concentration of their immunoreactive inhibin was markedly lower than that of controls, whereas the concentration of their FSH was increased inversely. Comparison of the numbers of ovarian follicles in the controls and groups treated with 2.5 mg busulfan kg(-1) and 5 mg busulfan kg(-1) revealed that prenatal treatment with busulfan reduced the number of follicles in the primordial or primary phase and in the preantral phase on day 7 after birth. Although the increase of the ratio of the number of preantral follicles during days 7-13 after birth tended to vary with the prenatal dose of busulfan, the number of preantral follicles in the group treated with 5 mg busulfan kg(-1) was still smaller than in the controls. The concentration of serum immunoreactive inhibin of the offspring treated with busulfan was reduced on day 7 after birth without alteration of the concentration of gonadotrophin. On day 13 after birth, the concentration of serum immunoreactive inhibin was reduced only in the offspring treated with 5 mg busulfan kg(-1), and the concentration of serum FSH of the offspring was increased inversely as found on day 15 after birth. These results indicate that a reduction in the number of primordial follicles decreases the number of follicles that enter the growing phase, a major source of circulating inhibin in the neonatal and infantile ovary, and that consequently increased circulating FSH may accelerate follicular development to achieve puberty.

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Effect of direct ovarian injection of vascular endothelial growth factor gene fragments on follicular development in immature female rats

Reproduction ◽

10.1530/rep-07-0268 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 134 (5) ◽

pp. 677-682 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Takashi Shimizu ◽

Koji Iijima ◽

Kanako Miyabayashi ◽

Yoshinori Ogawa ◽

Hitoshi Miyazaki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor ◽

Growth Factor ◽

Follicular Development ◽

Female Rats ◽

Vascular Endothelial ◽

Vegf Gene ◽

Immature Female ◽

Rat Ovary ◽

Ovulatory Follicles ◽

Endothelial Growth Factor

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in granulosa cells is associated with the thecal vasculature growth during ovarian follicular development. We hypothesized that injection of VEGF gene fragments directly into the rat ovary would induce production of a large number of ovulatory follicles and that these follicles would ovulate. To test this hypothesis, we treated immature female rats with combinations of hormones and VEGF gene fragments. The animals were divided into two groups: one group received solution containing transfection reagents as a control (n= 5), while the other group received direct ovarian injection of VEGF gene fragments at 19 (n= 5), 21 (n= 5), 23 (n= 5), or 25 (n= 5) days after birth followed by i.p. administration of 20 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG) at the age of 26 days. Forty-eight hours after eCG injection, animals were given 20 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) i.p. and then the oocytes in both groups were counted. The maximum number of ovulated oocytes was obtained when the VEGF gene fragments were injected into the rat ovary at 21 days after birth. Histological examination revealed that the injection of VEGF gene fragments markedly increased the vascular density around the preovulatory follicles and also the number of these follicles. Our data provide the first reported evidence that most ovulatory follicles generated by injection of VEGF gene fragments are able to ovulate upon hCG treatment. These results demonstrate that injection of VEGF gene fragments directly into the ovary stimulates the development of antral follicles by inducing the formation of thecal vasculature in immature female rats.

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Changes in inhibin-A (α-βA dimer) and total α inhibin in the peripheral circulation and ovaries of rats after gonadotrophin-induced follicular development and during the normal oestrous cycle

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1677/joe.0.1470271 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 147 (2) ◽

pp. 271-283 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

P A Fahy ◽

C A Wilson ◽

A J Beard ◽

N P Groome ◽

P G Knight

Keyword(s):

Plasma Concentrations ◽

Follicular Development ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Peripheral Circulation ◽

Oestrous Cycle ◽

Female Rats ◽

Immature Female ◽

Adult Rats ◽

Inhibin A ◽

Α Subunit

Abstract Recent modifications to a previously reported two-site IRMA have permitted the measurement of serum/plasma concentrations and ovarian contents of inhibin-A (α-βA dimer) in pregnant mare serum gonadotrophin (PMSG)treated immature female rats and adult rats throughout the 4-day oestrous cycle. For comparison, total α inhibin levels were also measured by α subunit-directed inhibin RIA and found to be at least tenfold higher (relative to the same 32 kDa bovine inhibin standard used to calibrate both assays). In immature female rats, serum levels of inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin increased within 3 h of PMSG injection and rose in parallel over the next 48 h to values four- to fivefold higher than pretreatment levels. Ovariectomy led to a rapid and parallel fall in both inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin; initial half-lives (±95% confidence intervals) were 22 ± 4 and 20 ± 5 min respectively. In adult rats, marked fluctuations in plasma concentrations and ovarian contents of inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin occurred during the 4-day oestrous cycle, most notably between the morning of pro-oestrus and the morning of oestrus. Plasma levels of inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin peaked on the afternoon of pro-oestrus just before the preovulatory gonadotrophin surge. After ovulation, both inhibin-A dimer and total α inhibin fell abruptly (two- to threefold by 0200 h on oestrus; P<0·001), while FSH showed a secondary rise which peaked at 0700 h on oestrus. Although IRMA- and RIA-derived inhibin values generally followed a similar pattern across the 4-day cycle (plasma: r=0·52, P<0·001; ovary: r=0·41, P<0·001), a transient rise in plasma and ovarian inhibin-A dimer was detected at 0700 h on oestrus (P<0·01) which was unaccompanied by a rise in total α inhibin. This rise in plasma inhibin-A dimer was probably responsible for terminating the post-ovulatory FSH surge since FSH levels declined steadily over the next 15 h. Overall, plasma inhibin-A dimer and FSH concentrations across the whole cycle were negatively correlated (r= −0·22, P<0·01) whereas no correlation existed between total α inhibin and FSH (r= −0·11, P=0·12). Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 147, 271–283

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NEUTRALIZATION OF ACTIVITY OF CIRCULATING GONADOTROPHIC HORMONES BY ANTISERUM TO RAT PITUITARY

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1677/joe.0.0250451 ◽

1963 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 451-456 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A. N. CONTOPOULOS ◽

T. HAYASHIDA

Keyword(s):

Serum Proteins ◽

Follicular Development ◽

Inhibitory Effect ◽

Female Rats ◽

Male Rats ◽

Rabbit Serum ◽

Normal Rabbit Serum ◽

Hormone Activity ◽

Immature Female ◽

Rat Pituitary

SUMMARY Antiserum prepared by the immunization of rabbits, with homogenates of rat anterior pituitary gland according to a procedure previously outlined, was absorbed with homologous serum proteins and tissues to remove various non-specific antibodies. Varying levels of plasma from gonadectomized male rats, containing high levels of gonadotrophic hormone activity, were injected into hypophysectomized, immature female rats. The simultaneous injection of antiserum resulted in complete neutralization of gonadotrophic hormone as judged by the inhibition of ovarian and uterine weight responses and the extent of follicular development in the ovaries of the rats used for the bioassay. The degree of inhibition was dependent upon the relative amount of antiserum employed. Normal rabbit serum did not have any inhibitory effect. No detectable non-specific or toxic effects were noted in the animals injected with antiserum.

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Dexamethasone or Triamcinolone Increases Follicular Development in Immature Female Rats

The Japanese Journal of Pharmacology ◽

10.1254/jjp.84.281 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 84 (3) ◽

pp. 281-286 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Atsushi Tohei ◽

Satoshi Sakamoto ◽

Hiroshi Kogo

Keyword(s):

Follicular Development ◽

Female Rats ◽

Immature Female

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Morphological Changes in the Rat Granulosa Cell Surface During Differentiation Induced by Estradiol and Gonadotropins

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100079851 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 35 ◽

pp. 484-485

Author(s):

P. Bagavandoss ◽

JoAnne S. Richards ◽

A. Rees Midgley

Keyword(s):

Cell Surface ◽

Granulosa Cell ◽

Morphological Changes ◽

Follicular Development ◽

Female Rats ◽

Functional Changes ◽

Group 4 ◽

Group 3 ◽

Group 5 ◽

Group 2

During follicular development in the mammalian ovary, several functional changes occur in the granulosa cells in response to steroid hormones and gonadotropins (1,2). In particular, marked changes in the content of membrane-associated receptors for the gonadotropins have been observed (1).We report here scanning electron microscope observations of morphological changes that occur on the granulosa cell surface in response to the administration of estradiol, human follicle stimulating hormone (hFSH), and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).Immature female rats that were hypophysectcmized on day 24 of age were treated in the following manner. Group 1: control groups were injected once a day with 0.1 ml phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for 3 days; group 2: estradiol (1.5 mg/0.2 ml propylene glycol) once a day for 3 days; group 3: estradiol for 3 days followed by 2 days of hFSH (1 μg/0.1 ml) twice daily, group 4: same as in group 3; group 5: same as in group 3 with a final injection of hCG (5 IU/0.1 ml) on the fifth day.

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The Fine Structure of Rat Granulosa Cell Cultures Correlated with Progestin Secretion

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100073209 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 31 ◽

pp. 552-553

Author(s):

T. M. Crisp ◽

F.R. Denys

Keyword(s):

Fine Structure ◽

Granulosa Cell ◽

Cell Cultures ◽

Single Injection ◽

Surrounding Medium ◽

Petri Dish ◽

Female Rats ◽

Vaginal Smear ◽

Immature Female ◽

Serum Gonadotropin

The purpose of this paper is to present observations on the fine structure of rat granulosa cell cultures grown in the presence of an adenohypophyseal explant and to correlate the morphology of these cells with progestin secretion. Twenty-six day old immature female rats were given a single injection of 5 IU pregnant mares serum gonadotropin (PMS) in order to obtain ovaries with large vesicular follicles. At 66 hrs. post-PMS administration (estrus indicated by vaginal smear cytology), the ovaries were removed and placed in a petri dish containing medium 199 and 100 U penicillin/streptomycin (P/S)/ml. Under a 20X magnification dissecting microscope, some 5-8 vesicular follicles/ovary were punctured and the granulosa cells were expressed into the surrounding medium. The cells were transferred to centrifuge tubes and spun down at 1000 rpm for 5 mins.

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