OBJECTIVE Since the unexpected results from the Women's Health Initiative, the possible protective role of estrogen in preventing heart disease in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women is uncertain. This study examined atherosclerotic lesion development in ovariectomized versus follicle-depleted ovary-intact cholesterol-fed female low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-deficient mice. METHO...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate recovery of endocrine function and fertility after transplantation and vitrification of whole ovaries. DESIGN Animal study. SETTING Lyon Veterinary School, France. ANIMAL(S) Ewes. INTERVENTION(S) In group 1 (n = 5), the left ovary was removed with its vascular pedicle and was transplanted onto the contralateral pedicle. In group 2 (n = 5), the left ovary with its p...

Alcohol related health challenges have lingered over the years. Such associated with locally brewed alcoholic beverages received little attention. The urgency to explore this becomes imperative. This study aimed at evaluating effect of regular consumption local on estrous cycle and histological image ovaries uterus thus fertility female albino rats. Thirty screened rats weighing 180-220g were d...

The Drosophila ovary provides a model system for studying the mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of somatic stem cells into specific cell types. Ovarian somatic stem cells produce follicle cells, which undergo a binary choice during early differentiation. They can become either epithelial cells that surround the germline to form an egg chamber ('main body cells') or a specialized cell...

Recent data indicate that Gurken-mediated activation of the EGF receptor in the somatic follicle cells of the Drosophila ovary - required for dorsoventral patterning of the fly embryo - leads to cell-autonomous repression of pipe expression, suggesting that the EGF receptor signaling pathway acts directly to control pipe transcription.

Although androgen excess is considered detrimental to women's health and fertility, global and ovarian granulosa cell-specific androgen-receptor (AR) knockout mouse models have been used to show that androgen actions through ARs are actually necessary for normal ovarian function and female fertility. Here we describe two AR-mediated pathways in granulosa cells that regulate ovarian follicular d...

Although microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in fine-tuning gene networks, the roles of mmu-mir-143 (miR-143) in mammalian ovary development have not been studied in vitro. We investigated the expression and function of miR-143 in the mouse ovary during primordial follicle formation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed that miR-143 expression increased during primordial foll...

The sand rat (Psammomys obesus) constitutes a model to study seasonal changes and several metabolic disorders. In order to perform breeding laboratory conditions, the reproductive function of this species living in North Occidental Algerian Sahara was studied. The aim of this work was to investigate the follicular growth changes and the steroidogenic associated aspects. The study was performed ...

The size of the primordial follicle pool determines the reproductive potential of mammalian females, and establishment of the pool is highly dependent on specific genes expression. However, the molecular mechanisms by which the essential genes are regulated coordinately to ensure primordial follicle assembly remain a mystery. Here, we show that the small GTPase Rac1 plays an indispensable role ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a cryopreservation technique by vitrification of whole ovaries with their vascular pedicle in sheep, by using two cryoprotectant solutions. DESIGN Animal study. SETTING Fertility clinic in a university teaching hospital. ANIMAL(S) Five to 6-month-old ewes. INTERVENTION(S) Whole sheep ovaries with their vascular pedicles were collected at the slaughterhouse and prep...