BACKGROUND Secretions within the adult female reproductive tract mediate sperm survival, storage, activation, and selection. Drosophila female reproductive gland secretory cells reside within the adult spermathecae and parovaria, but their development remains poorly characterized. RESULTS With cell-lineage tracing, we found that precursor cells downregulate lozenge and divide stereotypically ...

Weightlessness is known to induce many pathophysiological changes in various organs and systems in simulated weightlessness animal models. However, there is limited data on the effects of weightlessness on the female reproductive system. In the present study, we used the Morey-Holton hind limb suspension model to simulate weightlessness in female rats. We have shown that this weightlessness ind...

Macrophages are found throughout reproductive tissues. To determine their role(s), we have studied mice homozygous for a null mutation (Csfm(op)) in the gene encoding the major macrophage growth factor, colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1). Both male and female Csfm(op)/Csfm(op) mice have fertility defects. Males have low sperm number and libido as a consequence of dramatically reduced circulati...

The traditional herbal medicine, Hochu-ekki-to, has been shown to have preventive effects on viral infection and stress. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical effects of Hochu-ekki-to on two stress-related rat models of polycystic ovarian syndrome. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and treatment groups, the latter of which were subjected to stress induced by exposure to a...

Infertility is a global health problem and it is one of the most stressful conditions amongst married couples. Even though not lethal, it has been described as a radical life changing problem that carries with it significant psychological trauma. Infertility can be caused by various problems and sometimes it is not possible to establish a cause. Oxidative stress, which arises from an imbalance ...

Given the close relationship among neuroendocrine systems, it is likely that there may be common signals that coordinate the acquisition of adult reproductive function with other homeostatic processes. In this review, we focus on central nervous system insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) as a signal controlling reproductive function, with possible links to somatic growth, particularly during p...

Oxidative stress (OS), a state characterized by an imbalance between pro-oxidant molecules including reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and antioxidant defenses, has been identified to play a key role in the pathogenesis of subfertility in both males and females. The adverse effects of OS on sperm quality and functions have been well documented. In females, on the other hand, the impact of O...

The female reproductive tract has two main functions: protection against microbial challenge and maintenance of pregnancy to term. The upper reproductive tract comprises the fallopian tubes and the uterus, including the endocervix, and the lower tract consists of the ectocervix and the vagina. Immune cells residing in the reproductive tract play contradictory roles: they maintain immunity again...

We study the population cycles of the Monarch butterfly using one of the simplest systems incorporating both migration and local dynamics. The annual migration of the Monarch involves four generations. Members of Generations 1-3 (occasionally 4) migrate from the over-wintering site in Central Mexico to breeding grounds that extend as far north as the Northern United States and Southern Canada. ...

The aim of this study was to determine the modulatory effects of peptide 234 (p234) (an antagonist of GPR54 receptors) on kisspeptin and RF9 (an RFamide-related peptide antagonist)-induced changes in reproductive functions and energy balance in female rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were weaned on postnatal day (pnd) 21. The animals were intracerebroventricularly cannulated under general anest...