Oocyte maturation and embryo development are controlled by intra-ovarian factors such as steroid hormones. Progesterone (P4) exists in the follicular fluid that contributes to normal mammalian ovarian function and has several critical functions during embryo development and implantation, including endometrial receptivity, embryonic survival during gestation and transformation of the endometrial...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of MMP-14 and MMP-2 during human ovarian follicular development using immunohistochemistry, and the activity of MMP-2 in follicular fluid using zymography. METHODS Ovarian tissue collected from the archives of the Department of Pathology was examined and medical records and histopathology were reviewed. Follicular fluids were co...

The thyroid gland is an organ primarily composed of endoderm-derived follicular cells. Although disturbed embryonic development of the thyroid gland leads to congenital hypothyroidism in humans and mammals, the underlying principles of thyroid organogenesis are largely unknown. In this study, we introduce zebrafish as a model to investigate the molecular and genetic mechanisms that control thyr...

The transition of a preovulatory follicle into a corpus luteum is a complex process involving mechanisms similar to wound healing and tumor formation. The objective of this review is to focus on mechanisms associated with corpus luteum development with specific attention to the follicular lineage of luteal cells, mechanisms associated with luteinization, and neovascular changes during luteal de...

Stress-like levels of cortisol suppress follicular growth and development and block or delay the preovulatory surge of LH when cortisol is continuously administered during the late luteal and early follicular phases of the ovine oestrous cycle. We postulated that cortisol infusion of shorter duration would have a similar effect. To test this hypothesis the oestrous cycles of mature ewes were sy...

Disparate models for the development of peripheral B cells may reflect significant heterogeneity in recirculating long-lived B cells that have not been previously accounted for. We show in this study that the murine recirculating B cell pool contains two distinct, long-lived, posttransitional, follicular B cell populations. Follicular Type I IgM(low) B cells require Ag-derived and Btk-dependent...

Many investigations have utilized techniques for culturing ovarian tissue or isolated follicles in vitro. Whole ovaries from fetal or neonatal rodents have been incubated in organ culture systems. This has been utilized to understand the sequence of follicle formation and its hormonal requirements, activation of quiescent follicles, follicular growth and development, and acquisition of steroido...

BACKGROUND Estradiol (E2) receptors mediate E2 effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis under normal and pathological conditions. However, the mechanisms involved in E2 signaling are not completely understood. The objectives in this study were to evaluate the expression of estrogen receptors (ESRs) during follicular selection in cattle, and the effect of intrafollicular injection of fulvestr...

In order to evaluate the effects of short course administration of dexamethasone (DEX) combined with clomiphene citrate (CC) in CC-resistant patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCaS) and normal DHEAS, a prospective, double blind, placebo controlled, randomized study was undertaken at referral university hospitals, Two-hundred and thirty women with PCOS and normal DHEAS who failed to ...