Follicle culture systems have been developed so as to achieve in vitro fertilization of oocytes coming from immature follicles. The in vitro folliculogenesis methods would be especially useful in reproductive medicine to restore fertility in women having undergone ovarian cryopreservation. Several culture systems allowing in vitro growth of small follicles have been developed in mouse. These ha...

This review offers a practically oriented introduction to follicle culture in vitro, focusing on mouse follicles, but with reference to other species. The main principles of follicle growth are addressed, including the constraints of tissue culture, methods of follicle isolation, and techniques for individual and collective culture of intact follicles. Culture systems that support a spherical o...

14 day-old mouse ovarian tissue and preantral follicles isolated from same-aged mice were incubated in a simulated microgravity culture system. We quantitatively assessed follicle survival, measured follicle and oocyte diameters, and examined ultrastructure of the oocytes produced from the system. We observed decreased follicle survival, downregulation of expressions of proliferating cell nucle...

Previous studies indicate that the menstrual cycles of older reproductive age women are characterized by a selective elevation of FSH associated with early development and ovulation of a dominant follicle. Several intraovarian hormones and growth factors have been identified that appear to serve important paracrine roles. The purpose of this study was to examine follicular fluid (FF) hormones a...

The objective of this study was to determine the effects of uterine and systemic inflammatory responses to uterine bacterial contamination at calving in dairy cows on the growth and ovulatory outcomes of the first dominant follicle postpartum. Ovulatory capability of the first dominant follicle postpartum was predicted in 53 multiparous cows by using a combination of follicle growth characteris...

Oestrogens are pivotal in ovarian follicular growth, development and function, with fundamental roles in steroidogenesis, nurturing the oocyte and ovulation. Infections with bacteria such as Escherichia coli cause infertility in mammals at least in part by perturbing ovarian follicle function, characterised by suppression of oestradiol production. Ovarian follicle granulosa cells produce oestra...

Receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK), known for controlling bone mass, has been recognized for its role in epithelial cell activation of the mammary gland. Because bone and the epidermo-pilosebaceous unit of the skin share a lifelong renewal activity where similar molecular players operate, and because mammary glands and hair follicles are both skin appendages, we have addressed the function of R...

Transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is a member of the NF-kappaB pathway and regulates inflammatory responses. We previously showed that TAK1 also regulates keratinocyte growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. However, it is unknown whether TAK1 has any role in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions. To examine this possibility, we studied the role of TAK1 in mouse hair folli...

Context Neurokinin B (NKB) is obligate for human puberty, but its role in adult female gonadotropin secretion and ovarian follicle growth is unknown. Objective To investigate antagonism of NKB on pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion and ovarian follicle development in healthy women. Design Open investigation of the effects of a neurokinin-3 ...