In order to investigate potential changes in insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) during human follicle maturation, we examined the IGFBP profiles in follicular fluid from follicles in different stages of maturation. Samples were obtained from ovaries of women with regular menstrual cycles and of subjects with cycle abnormalities and polycystic ovaries (diagnosed as polycystic o...

Background: M-CSF is a cytokine mediating the growth, proliferation and differentiation of various cell types including macrophages, trophoblast cells, and osteoclasts. It plays an important role in immunity reproduction, follicle development and ovulation. In the present study, we describe the important role of the changes in serum M-CSF levels during the menstrual cycle, in the process of fol...

Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is a 43 kDa glycoprotein with a remarkable range of biological actions in different tissue systems. LIF improves the rate of fertilization of mouse oocytes in vitro and up-regulates aromatase enzyme. We postulated that LIF may be an important modulator of ovarian function and may also improve embryo quality in humans. Follicular fluid samples from patients unde...

BACKGROUND In the present study, we report that D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) occurs in human ovarian follicular fluid and that a relationship may exist between the concentration of this amino acid and oocyte quality. METHODS Samples of pre-ovulatory follicle fluid were obtained from 20 patients undergoing an IVF programme. The concentration of D-Asp was measured by using specific high-performance ...

In the present study, changes in thyroid follicular cell volume and its regulation have been investigated during the early involution of a hyperplastic goitre. Male Wistar rats were administered an iodine deficient diet for 6 months with propylthiouracil (PTU, 0.15%) during the last two months. At the end of iodine deficiency (day 0), some rats were killed and the others received a normal iodin...

Ovulation has long been associated with an increased risk in ovarian cancer, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain obscure. Two aspects of ovulation have been linked to ovarian cancer pathogenesis. The first is the impact of repetitive tissue injury and repair that occurs with each ovulatory event. The second is the release of follicular fluid that accompanies the follicular rupture an...

Irregular menstrual cycles, reduced responses to exogenous hormonal treatments, and altered endocrine profiles (high FSH/high LH/low AMH) are observed in women with increasing age before menopause. In this study, because the granulosa cell-specific Nrg1 knockout mice (gcNrg1KO) presented ovarian and endocrine phenotypes similar to older women, we sought to understand the mechanisms of ovarian a...

Ovulation constitutes an inflammatory-like process, with macrophages migrating into the follicle. This study evaluates the production of two macrophage-specific chemokines, monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) and macrophage inflammatory protein-1alpha (MIP-1alpha), in the human follicle at ovulation. Blood samples, follicular fluids and follicular cells were collected during menstrual and IV...

The aim of this study was to identify differentially expressed proteins in the follicular fluid of Tianzhu white yak during diestrus. Follicles obtained from female yak were divided into four groups according to their diameter: 0-2, 2-4, 4-6 mm, and greater than 6 mm. The follicular fluid was directly aspirated from the follicles and mixed according to follicular size, and two-dimensional gel e...

Background: Cadmium toxicity has been shown in aquatic animals but the effect on frog’s endocrine glands is not known. We investigated the effects of cadmium on ultimobranchial and parathyroid glands of Indian skipper frog, Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis. Methods: Frogs were exposed to cadmium chloride for short and long terms and sacrificed after 24, 48, 72 or 96 h (short-term) and after 5, 10, 1...