The estrous cycle of mono-ovulatory species such as cows or humans, is known to show two or more waves of follicular growth and decline between two successive ovulations. Within each wave, there is one dominant follicle escorted by subordinate follicles of varying number. Under the surge of the luteinizing hormone a growing dominant follicle ovulates. Rarely the number of ovulating follicles ex...

OBJECTIVE To examine whether the action of triiodothyronine on aromatase activity in porcine follicular cells is related to the modulation of estradiol receptor. METHODS Medium and large preovulatory follicles were incubated in Parker medium (M199) supplemented with 5 % of calf serum as a control medium or with addition of triiodothyronine (T3; 10 -9 M), tamoxifen (TMX; 0.1 mM ) or T3+TMX. Th...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of apoptosis after in vitro culture of isolated follicles derived from vitrified and non-vitrified ovaries. Mouse ovaries were vitrified and their pre-antral follicles were mechanically isolated and cultured for 10 days. Growth and survival rates of the follicles were assessed during the culture period and the ultrastructure of the follicles w...

Angiogenesis and capillary degeneration are both evident during ovarian follicle growth. However, the characteristics and distribution of thecal capillary proliferative and degenerative structures have not been fully defined. Indeed, the role of thecal microvasculature changes in follicular atresia is still a matter of debate. The present study examined the distribution of thecal capillary chan...

Cystic follicles have excess fluid derived from blood flow in the theca interna of the follicle; therefore, the vasculature network is related to cystic follicle formation. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent stimulator of blood vessel permeability and angiogenesis. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of VEGF receptors proteins and mRNA in cystic follicles to e...

Encapsulated in vitro follicle growth (eIVFG) has great potential to provide an additional fertility preservation option for young women and girls with cancer or other reproductive health threatening diseases. Currently, follicles are cultured for a defined period of time and analyzed as a cohort. However, follicle growth is not synchronous, and culturing follicles for insufficient or excessive...

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to obtain 'biochemical fingerprints' for the constitution of follicular fluids from large and small antral luteinized follicles (n = 54 pairs). All samples gave reproducible characteristic biological infrared absorption spectra, with recognizable amide I protein vibrations and acyl vibrations from fatty acids. Discriminant function analysi...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding ascorbic acid to the media for in vitro culture of cattle ovarian fragments and to determine their effects on growth activation and viability of early-stage follicles. The ovarian cortex was divided into small fragments; one fragment was immediately fixed (control) and the other fragments were cultured in minimum essential medium...

The follicles (1.8 to 7.8 mm in diameter) were recovered from the ovaries in marketed pigs and the number of granulosa cells, the diameter of oocytes obtained from different development stages of the follicles and follicular fluid levels were determined. Correlations between size measurements and cell counts as well as the diameter of antral follicles and oocytes were also investigated. The res...

Expression of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a neuropeptide with considerable homology to vasoactive intestinal peptide, has been shown to be stimulated by gonadotropins in the ovary. The present studies further evaluated the cell-type specific expression and gonadotropin regulation of PACAP type I receptor (PACAPR) messenger RNA in immature rat ovaries and in cultu...