Serum concentrations of oestradiol-17beta, progesterone, relaxin and chorionic gonadotrophin during blastocyst implantation in natural pregnancy cycle and in embryo transfer cycle in the rhesus monkey

The aim of the present study was to investigate the use of exogenous progesterone and equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) in non-ovulated and ovulated, asynchronous dromedary camel recipients being prepared for an embryo transfer programme. The uteri of 12 mated donor camels were flushed non-surgically 7 days after ovulation and 42 embryos were recovered. In Experiment 1, 16 embryos were transferred non-surgically to recipients on Day 3 or 4 after ovulation (ov+3 and ov+4, respectively). Each recipient received a daily dose of 75 mg, i.m., progesterone-in-oil from 2 days before embryo transfer until 6 days after ovulation. Thereafter, the progesterone dose was reduced to 50 mg on Day 7 and finally to 25 mg day–1 on Days 8 and 9. Nine of 16 recipients (56%; ov+3, n = 4; ov+4, n = 5) became pregnant compared with none of eight non-progesterone treated controls, into which embryos were transferred on Day 4 after ovulation. In Experiment 2, 18 non-ovulated recipients received 75 mg, i.m., progesterone-in-oil daily from 3 days before until 12 days after non-surgical transfer of a Day 7 blastocyst, at which time pregnancy was diagnosed by ultrasonography. All pregnant recipients continued to receive 75 mg progesterone-in-oil daily for a further 6 days, when each camel received 2000 IU, i.m., eCG. Progesterone treatment was then reduced to 50 mg day–1 and, when a follicle(s) ≥1.3 cm in diameter were present in the ovaries, each animal received 20 μg buserelin to induce ovulation. Once the corpora lutea had developed, progesterone treatment was reduced to 25 mg day–1 for a final 3 days. Fourteen of 18 recipients (78%) became pregnant and seven of these (50%) remained pregnant after eCG treatment. Of the seven pregnancies that were lost, two were lost before eCG treatment, two did not respond to eCG treatment and three responded to eCG treatment and ovulated, but lost their pregnancies 6–8 days after the last progesterone injection.

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The use of heterologous radioimmunoassays for the measurement of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone concentrations in horse and donkey serum

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1677/joe.0.0990199 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 99 (2) ◽

pp. 199-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Valerie Urwin

Keyword(s):

Luteinizing Hormone ◽

Follicle Stimulating Hormone ◽

Cross Reactivity ◽

Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Cross Reaction ◽

The Other ◽

Corpora Lutea ◽

Serum Concentrations ◽

Study Support ◽

Baseline Levels

Heterologous double-antibody radioimmunoassays were developed for the measurement of FSH and LH concentrations in the serum of both horses and donkeys. The FSH assay employed a rabbit anti-ovine FSH serum which showed a complete lack of cross-reaction with equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) and negligible cross-reaction with equine LH. The LH assay utilized an antiserum raised against highly purified eCG. This similarly showed negligible cross-reaction with equine FSH but its high cross-reactivity with eCG prevented the measurement of equine LH concentrations in serum when eCG was also present. In both assays serial dilutions of horse and donkey serum were parallel to the standard. The assays were used to monitor changes in serum concentrations of FSH and LH during the first 100 days of pregnancy in pony mares and jenny donkeys. In both species during pregnancy LH levels reached a peak 1–2 days after ovulation. They then decreased rapidly to baseline levels where they remained until days 35–40 when the commencement of eCG production prevented their further measurement. Serum FSH concentrations, on the other hand, continued to fluctuate markedly throughout the first 100 days of pregnancy in both the ponies and donkeys. Pronounced surges in FSH levels occurred at regular intervals in some animals but the pattern of release was quite irregular in the others. The results of this study support the concept that it is continued pituitary FSH release, not eCG secretion, which is responsible for stimulating the secondary follicles which develop during early equine pregnancy. However, it appears likely that it is the LH-like activity of eCG which causes the subsequent ovulation and/or luteinization of these secondary follicles to produce accessory corpora lutea.

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A COMPARISON BETWEEN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPHINS EXTRACTED FROM HUMAN, RHESUS MONKEY AND MARMOSET PLACENTAE

Journal of Endocrinology ◽

10.1677/joe.0.0550363 ◽

1972 ◽

Vol 55 (2) ◽

pp. 363-368 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

BRUCE HOBSON ◽

LEIF WIDE

Keyword(s):

Biological Activity ◽

Rhesus Monkey ◽

Human Placenta ◽

Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Antigenic Determinants

SUMMARY Evidence is provided to show that chorionic gonadotrophins extracted from the human, rhesus monkey and marmoset placentae have antigenic determinants in common. Similar slopes were obtained for these gonadotrophins in a radioimmunoassay for human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG). The biological activity of the monkey gonadotrophins was neutralized by anti-HCG serum. When the gonadotrophic activity of the monkey placental extracts was assayed biologically and immunologically, using HCG as a standard, similar results were obtained. Higher values were obtained by the immunoassay than by the bioassay when extracts of human placenta were assayed using the same HCG standard.

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525. ROLES FOR HUMAN CHORIONIC GONADOTROPHIN IN EMBRYO-ENDOMETRIAL CROSS-TALK DURING BLASTOCYST IMPLANTATION

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/srb09abs525 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 21 (9) ◽

pp. 124

Author(s):

P. Paiva ◽

K. Meehan ◽

L. A. Salamonsen ◽

E. Dimitriadis

Keyword(s):

Growth Factors ◽

Epithelial Cells ◽

Cross Talk ◽

Early Embryo ◽

Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Gm Csf ◽

Blastocyst Implantation ◽

Endometrial Epithelium ◽

Endometrial Epithelial Cells

Emerging evidence suggests an important role for the early embryo product human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) in embryo-endometrial interactions critical for successful embryo implantation1. The human endometrium is also a source of hCG, with maximal expression of hCG and its receptor, hCG/LHR, in endometrial epithelial cells during the window of implantation in vivo2,3, and in primary endometrial epithelial cells (EECs)3. Implantation is tightly regulated by growth and regulatory factors produced within the embryo-endometrial microenvironment. We hypothesise that embryo/endometrial-derived hCG mediates the molecular cross talk vital for successful implantation. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effect of hCG on the production of a selected cohort of 42 cytokines and growth factors by EECs. These included those with both known and previously unidentified roles during implantation. The secretory profile of cytokines/growth factors produced by EECs was also analysed. EECs (n=8 cultures) were isolated from biopsies collected from fertile cycling women. Cells were treated without or with recombinant hCG for 48 hr and conditioned media collected for quantitative analysis using LuminexTM multiplex technology. For the first time, a secretory profile of 42 cytokines and growth factors produced by EECs was established, as was the identification of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) secretion by human endometrial epithelium. hCG (2 IU/ml) significantly increased the production of a number factors including those with known roles during trophoblast migration and adhesion (CX3CL1; 71±31%, CXCL10; 67±24%, CCL4; 87±12%), in trophoblast differentiation (IL-1α ; 68±31%) and with unidentified roles during implantation (CCL22; 78±40%, GM-CSF; 45±16%, FGF-2; 50±25%; all p<0.05). Upregulation of the known hCG regulated proteins, VEGF and LIF, validated this study. These findings clearly support roles for the embryo/endometrium via hCG in actively contributing to the molecular cross-talk during the early stages of implantation.

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Pregnancy: Differential increase in the maternal serum concentrations of the placental proteins human chorionic gonadotrophin, pregnancy-specific β1-glycoprotein, human placental lactogen and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A during the first half of normal pregnancy, elucidated by means of a mathematical model

Human Reproduction ◽

10.1093/oxfordjournals.humrep.a135961 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 453-458 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

S. Sorensen ◽

G. Momsen ◽

S. Ruge ◽

J.F. Pedersen

Keyword(s):

Mathematical Model ◽

Protein A ◽

Normal Pregnancy ◽

Maternal Serum ◽

Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin ◽

Placental Lactogen ◽

Human Placental Lactogen ◽

Serum Concentrations ◽

Differential Increase

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Progesterone supplementation extends uterine receptivity for blastocyst implantation in mice

Reproduction ◽

10.1530/rep-06-0330 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 133 (2) ◽

pp. 487-493 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Haengseok Song ◽

Kyuyong Han ◽

Hyunjung Lim

Keyword(s):

Cell Proliferation ◽

Embryo Transfer ◽

Thymidine Incorporation ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Physiological Changes ◽

Uterine Receptivity ◽

Blastocyst Implantation ◽

Progesterone Supplementation

We previously showed that blastocyst can initiate implantation beyond the normal ‘window’ of uterine receptivity on day 5 of pregnancy and pseudopregnancy (PSP) in mice. In this study, we investigated whether uterine receptivity for blastocyst implantation can be further extended on day 6 of PSP and the role of progesterone (P4) on this event. Embryo transfers, experimentally induced decidualization,in situhybridization and [3H]thymidine incorporation were performed. Blastocysts initiate attachment reaction within 48 h when transferred on day 5, but not on day 6 of PSP. Likewise, decidualization reaction occurred on days 4 and 5 of PSP, but completely failed on day 6. However, P4supplementation partially retains uterine receptivity for blastocyst implantation and decidualization on day 6 of PSP. In addition, certain indicators of uterine receptivity, such as cell proliferation profile and expression patterns of implantation-related genes were similarly observed on days 4 and 5 of PSP, but not on day 6. Consistent with embryo transfer and decidualization, exogenous administration of P4partially restores these indicators on day 6 of PSP. We concluded that critical physiological changes occur between days 4 and 5 of PSP, leading to uterine non-receptivity on day 6, but P4is able to extend the uterine receptivity through day 6.

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