The two principal functions of ovarian follicles are developmental and endocrine. The cumulus cells surrounding the oocyte are specialized to serve the development of the oocyte and steroidogenesis is a principal role of mural granulosa cells that line the follicle wall. The findings in this report demonstrate that oocytectomy or treatment with an inhibitor of SMAD2/3 activation results in decr...

Background: Follicle stimulating hormone is a heterodimeric protein composed of two subunits, α and ß, which are linked noncovalently. The hypophysial gonadotropin FSH plays an important role in the regulation of oocyte maturation, and a key component for growth of ovulator follicles in ewes. Materials and Methods: This study seeks to clone and express the ovine follicle stimulating hormone sub...

A quantitative analysis of germ-cell populations in normal, hypophysectomized (Hx), and Hx-hormone-treated animals was undertaken during periods of regression that were characterized as intermediate, between short-term and long-term regression of the testis. Twenty-one groups of adult rats were administered either follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), growth hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormone (...

Clinical findings and endocrine studies are reported concerning six subjects (from two pedigrees) suffering from isolated hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Their complete lack of any gonadotropin response to clomiphene stimulation, together with positive responses of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) to LH-releasing-hormone stimulation (LH-RH) provide evidence for a h...

A retrospective analysis was performed on 64 cycles stimulated with human menopausal gonadotrophin and/or pure follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and oestrogen (E2) levels. The increase in serum E2 on the day of HCG administration did not correlate (r = 0.05) with the number of preovulatory oocytes (preovs) or with an increase or decrease in serum FSH (r = 0.31). However, the change in serum FS...

Methods Thirty-six adolescents with SLE were evaluated to determine the characteristics of the disease. SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) was used to assess SLE status. Beside routine laboratory investigations of SLE, measurement of follicle stimulating hormone(FSH), leutinizing hormone (LH) and estrogen (E2) for females or testosterone for males before and 4 hours after LH releasing hormone ...

The objective of the study was to examine the effect of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) on 17β-estradiol (E2) synthesis and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) action in bovine granulosa cells. We found that granulosa cells in the bovine antral follicle, in addition to the uterus and the CL, are also the site of LPA synthesis and the target for LPA action in the bovine reproductive tract. Our findin...

Background: One of the main causes of male infertility is the negative effects of oxidative stress. Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) plays an essential role in spermatogenesis, as well as in the maintenance of sperm DNA integrity. This study aimed to determine whether the recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (rhFSH) treatment of sperm parameters could positively affect sperm DNA and...

Testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) are required to obtain full reproductive potential. In the testis, somatic Sertoli cells transduce signals from testosterone and FSH into the production of factors that are required by germ cells as they mature into spermatozoa. Recent advances in identifying new signaling pathways that are regulated by FSH and testosterone have allowed for re...

BACKGROUND We sought to determine whether smoking, alcohol and caffeine are related to four indicators of ovarian age: antral follicle count (AFC), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), inhibin B and estradiol. METHODS Analyses drew on ultrasound scans and sera from 188 women, aged 22-49. We used least squares regression to estimate differences in AFC and hormone levels for women who smoke ciga...