Detection of Progesterone Receptor as a Method of Diagnosing Mammary Cancer in Female Dogs

Introduction: Canine mammary gland tumor is the most common type of neoplasia in non-ovariectomized bitches. Approximately 50% of tumors are malignant. Neoplasms originating from the mammary gland represent the most common neoplastic disease in canines in Veterinary Medicine. Aim: Relate the expression of the receptor to progesterone (PR) with the tumor stage of canine mammary carcinoma. Material and Methods: Analytical-cross-sectional study, samples of paraffinized tumor tissue obtained from 30 canine patients with breast cancer were used. The expression of PR was performed by immunohistochemical labeling, using murine anti-PR (anti-PR Biocare brand). A descriptive analysis was carried out with the results using the SPSS program. Results: The predominant histological subtype of breast cancer was tubular carcinoma with 12 patients, followed by papillary cystic carcinoma with 6 patients, solid carcinoma 5, carcinosarcoma 4 and comedocarcinoma 3. There was a significant trend between breast cancer subtypes, histological grade G1. Among the histopathological findings, the degree of invasion is related to the presence of tumor cells in adjacent lymph nodes, which is why it is a prognostic indicator. The expression of PR in the tumor tissue samples it was 42.8% positive versus 57.14% negative, of which 75% correspond to G1, 8.3% to G2 and 16.6% to G3. With respect to the relationship of the expression of PR vs type of tumor, it was found that 50% correspond to tubular carcinoma, 33.3% to papillary cystic carcinoma, 8.3% to solid carcinoma and 8.3% to comedocarcinoma. Conclusion: The hormone receptor was negative in more than half of the patients and histological grade is significantly associated with tumor subtypes, this study emphasizes the need to introduce receptor testing into our routine clinical practice to offer the best treatment for breast cancer.

Diagnostic efficacy of virtual organ computer-assisted analysis in measuring the volume ratio of subchorionic hematoma with serum progesterone

BACKGROUND Subchorionic hematoma(SCH)is a common complication in early pregnancy characterized by the accumulation of blood between the uterine wall and the chorionic membrane.SCH can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage,preterm birth,and other complications.Early detection and accurate assessment of SCH are crucial for appropriate management and improved pregnancy outcomes.AIM To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of virtual organ computer-assisted analysis(VOCAL)in measuring the volume ratio of SCH to gestational sac(GS)combined with serum progesterone on early pregnancy outcomes in patients with SCH.METHODS A total of 153 patients with SCH in their first-trimester pregnancies between 6 and 11 wk were enrolled.All patients were followed up until a gestational age of 20 wk.The parameters of transvaginal two-dimensional ultrasound,including the circumference of SCH(Cs),surface area of SCH(Ss),circumference of GS(Cg),and surface area of GS(Sg),and the parameters of VOCAL with transvaginal three-dimensional ultrasound,including the three-dimensional volume of SCH(3DVs)and GS(3DVg),were recorded.The size of the SCH and its ratio to the GS size(Cs/Cg,Ss/Sg,3DVs/3DVg)were recorded and compared.RESULTS Compared with those in the normal pregnancy group,the adverse pregnancy group had higher Cs/Cg,Ss/Sg,and 3DVs/3DVg ratios(P<0.05).When 3DVs/3DVg was 0.220,the highest predictive performance predicted adverse pregnancy outcomes,resulting in an AUC of 0.767,and the sensitivity,specificity were 70.2%,75%respectively.VOCAL measuring 3DVs/3DVg combined with serum progesterone gave a diagnostic AUC of 0.824 for early pregnancy outcome in SCH patients,with a high sensitivity of 82.1%and a specificity of 72.1%,which showed a significant difference between AUC.CONCLUSION VOCAL-measured 3DVs/3DVg effectively quantifies the severity of SCH,while combined serum progesterone better predicts adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Vaginal Progesterone (VP) versus VP plus Intermittent Intramuscular Progesterone (IMP) Use in Frozen/Thawed Blastocyst Transfer Cycles: An Observational Cohort Study

Objective: Comparison of vaginal progesterone (VP) versus VP and intermittent intramuscular progesterone (IMP) use in frozen/thawed blastocyst transfer cycles. Study Design: A single center retrospective analyses of 470 elective FET cycles which were performed between January 2015 and September 2019 were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups. Control group was consisted of VP (n = 272), the study group was consisted of VP plus IMP (n = 198) users. Results: The number of transfer attempts in control and study groups was 272 and 198, respectively. Age (29.8 ± 4 vs 30.6 ± 4;p = 0.09), BMI (22 ± 2 vs 21.9 ± 3;p = 0.79) and the number of transferred embryos (1.4 ± 0.5 vs 1.4 ± 0.5;p = 0.48) were comparable between groups. Altough, implantation rates (43.7% vs 43.6%;p = 0.9), ectopic pregnancy (0.8% vs 0.3%;p = 0.46) and abortion rates (8.2% vs 4.8%;p = 0.07) were similar. Biochemical pregnancy rate (8.4% vs 3.4% p = 0.01) in control group and ongoing pregnancy rate (OPR) (27.9% vs 38.1%;p = 0.005) in study group were significantly higher. Conclusion: Within the FET cycles in which good quality blastocyst are being transferred additional IMP supplementation to VP may increase OPR while reducing the biochemical pregnancy rate.

Variation in Progesterone Levels and Urinary Tract Infections in Pregnant Women Attending Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Eldoret, Kenya

Background and Aims: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common among pregnant women and major predisposing factors for pyelonephritis linked to obstetrical complications including preterm labour and low infants’ birth weights. This study sought to determine the relationship(s) between pregnancy trimesters, UTIs and changes in progesterone levels among pregnant women. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in 2016 at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) antenatal clinic which is a referral facility that attends to patients from most Counties in western region of Kenya. A cross-sectional study design was used to collect blood and urine specimens from 78 participants. Blood was used to determine progesterone levels using ELISA technique and urine cultures with bacterial colony counts ≥ 105 were appropriately identified to species level. Trimester periods and participants’ demographic information were obtained using a structured questionnaire. Results: Culture results showed that the most abundant bacterial species isolated in urine from the pregnant women was Escherechia coli (63.7%). The more affected age-group was women between 30 - 39 years during trimester three, suggesting that bacterial colonization of genital track occurred more frequently in older compared to the younger women. There was an exponential increase in progesterone levels among the pregnant women during trimester three compared to other trimesters, although these increases occurred independent of age. However, high levels of progesterone among pregnant women in third trimester corresponded with increased number of E. coli causing UTI. Conclusion: The results showed that progesterone levels increase with trimester and the most prevalent bacteria associated with this was E. coli even though age and increase in progesterone levels had no significant impact on E. coli infection.

Fecal progesterone and estradiol changes during the breeding season in captive female wolf

Understanding basic reproductive physiology is crucial for the management of both captive and free-ranging wolf. In the present study, we determined hormonal changes during pregnancy and the estrous cycle in captive female wolf by measuring fecal steroids collected during the breeding season with high performance liquid chromatography （HPLC）. These biochemical analyses were validated using chemical devivatization and mass spectrometry, and interpreted along with the behavioral data. All four females undergoing estrus cycles were copulated with their partners and delivered pups successfully. We found that estradiol concen-trations were significantly higher during the estrus cycle than other stages （p0.01） and progesterone was also significantly increased throughout the pregnancy （p0.01）. These hormonal fluctuations demonstrated pregnancy-specific changes in the fecal progesterone and estradiol con-centrations. Patterns of fecal estradiol and progesterone concentrations during estrous cycles were similar to those reported for other canids.

Preparation and Crystal Structure of 12β,15α-dihydroxyprogesterone

Progesterone（1） was biotransformed into the title compound 12β,15α-dihydroxy-progesterone（2） with Colletotrichum lini AS3.4486.The biotransformation process was monitored with HPLC.The structure of 2 was determined by 1H NMR,13C NMR,ESI-MS and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.The crystal of the compound belongs to orthorhombic,space group P212121 with a = 8.0671（9）,b = 12.3970（15）,c = 18.532（3） ,Z = 4,V = 1853.3（4）3,Dc = 1.242 mg/m3,μ = 0.084 mm-1,F（000） = 752,R = 0.0373 and wR = 0.0850.Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals that a 1D supramolecular structure of 2 has been constructed by multiply intermolecular O（2）-H（2）…O（4） and O（3）-H（3）…O（2） H-bonding interactions.

5<i>β</i>-Dihydroprogesterone and Human Preterm Labor

We previously investigated the progesterone metabolite 5β-dihydroprogesterone (5βDHP) in relation to human parturition at term, demonstrating that peripheral venous concentrations decrease in association with the onset of spontaneous labour. In this study our aim was to determine if 5βDHP concentrations were lower in women presenting in spontaneous preterm labour than in controls matched for gestational age. Blood samples were obtained from women presenting in spontaneous preterm labour (n = 20). The diagnosis was made on the presence of regular contractions and cervical effacement and dilatation of at least 3 cms. All women in the preterm labour group delivered before 37 weeks gestation. Blood samples were then obtained from controls, closely matched for gestational age with uncomplicated pregnancies. The preterm labour group was further stratified by cause into three groups, chorioamnionitis (n = 5), abruption (n = 4) and idiopathic (n = 11). Following organic solvent extraction, steroids were separated by HPLC and 5βDHP quantified by radioimmunoassay. Women in the idiopathic preterm labour group were found to have significantly lower circulating concentrations of 5βDHP than controls

A Systematic Review of the Efficacy and Safety of Didroxyprogesterone Combined with Progesterone in the Treatment of Luteal Insufficiency-Induced Abortion

Objective:To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of didroxyprogesterone combined with progesterone in the treatment of luteal insufficiency abortion.Methods:We searched CNKI database,VIP database,Wanfang database,PubMed database,EMBASE database and Cochrane library database for literatures on the treatment of luteal insufficiency-induced abortion with didroxyprogesterone and progesterone.Meta-analysis was performed using Revman 5.3 software after literature extraction and further quality evaluation.Results:Ten randomized controlled trial-related articles that describe studies on a total of 1145 patients,570 in the combination group and 575 in the control group,were included.The results of meta-analysis showed that combination therapy could improve the effective rate of fetal protection(OR=0.14,95%CI[0.07,0.27],P<0.00001).The safety of the combination group was significantly higher than that of the control group(OR=3.09,95%CI[1.13,8.48],P=0.03).Conclusion:To sum up,compared with the control group,the combination of progesterone and progesterone is more effective and safer in the treatment of luteal insufficiency abortion.However,the sample size of the data is relatively small and the quality of the literature is low.This conclusion still needs to be further verified in high-quality randomized controlled trials that involve large samples.

Study on prevention effect of Zishen Yutai pill combined with progesterone for threatened abortion in rats

Objective:To observe preventive and therapeutic effects and the mechanism of actions on Zishen Yutai pill combined with progesterone on threatened abortion in rats.Methods:After pregnancy,50 SPF female SD rats were selected and divided into control group,model group,progesterone group,Zishen Yutai pill group,and progesterone plus Zishen Yutai pill group(combination group),with 10 rats in each group.The rats of control group and abortion model group were lavaged with 2 mL/kg normal saline on pregnancy day 1 for continuous 10 days.Rats in Zishen Yutai pill group were given 1.575 g/kg/d of Zishen Yutai pill for intragastric administration for continuous 10 days.Rats in progesterone group were given intramuscular injection treatment of 0.1 mL/d progestin,continuous for 10 days.Rats in combination group were given injection therapy of aqueous solution of Zishen Yutai pill for continuous 10 days,and other treatments were the same as previous two groups.Abortion model were established then and live births,numbers of abortion and average rate of abortion were compared between the five groups.Peripheral blood was collected to detect the estradiol(E2) and progestational hormone(P),and obtain ratio of Th1/Th2 cytokines(IL-2,INF-γ,IL-4,IL-10).Results:Significant more live births of rats were found in the control group compared with other four groups(P<0.05).The numbers of live births of the rats in abortion model group were significantly less than that of progesterone group,Zishen Yutai pill group and joint group(P<0.05).The numbers of live births of rats in joint group were significant more than that of progesterone group and Zishen Yutai pill group.The serum E2 level of P of rats in the control group,progesterone group,Zishen Yutai pill group and joint group were significant higher than that of abortion model group(P<0.05).Serum levels of E2 and P of rats in the control group,progesterone group,Zishen Yutai pill group and joint group were not significant different(P>0.05) but these levels in the control group and Zishen Yutai pill group were significant lower than that of progesterone group and joint group(P<0.05).The maternal-fetal interface IL-4/IL-2,IL-10 / IL-2 of model group were balanced deviating to Th1,while the IL-4/IL-2,IL-10/IL-2 of progesterone group,Zishen Yutai pill group and joint group were balanced deviating to Th2,and joint group' deviation was better than progesterone group and Zishen Yutai pill group(P<0.05).Conclusions:Zishen Yutai pill combined with progesterone has a significant control effect for threatened abortion,which can obviously increase contents of maternal serums E2 and P,and regulate the Thl/Th2 balance with a remarkable effect.

Effects of progesterone on gastric emptying and intestinal transit in male rats

AIM: To study the dose-dependent of progesterone (P) effect and the interaction between the oxytocin (OT) and P on gastrointestinal motility. METHODS: In order to monitor the gastric emptying and intestinal transit, the SD male rats were intubated via a catheter with normal saline (3 ml/kg) containing Na(2)(51)CrO(4) (0.5 microCi/ml) and 10% charcoal. OT was dissolved into normal saline and P was dissolved into 75% alcohol. RESULTS: Low does of P (1 mg/kg, i.p.) enhanced the gastric emptying (75+/-3%, P【0.05) and high dose of P (5 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibit it (42+/-11.2%, P【0.01). P (1 mg/kg) increased the intestinal transit (4.2+/-0.3, P【0.05) while the higher dose (10-20 mg/kg) had no effect. OT (0.8 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited the gastric emptying (23.5+/-9.8%, P【0.01). The inhibitory effects of P(20 mg/kg) (32+/-9.7%, P【0.05) and OT (0.8 mg/kg) on gastric emptying enhanced each other when the two chemicals were administrated simultaneously (17+/-9.4%, P【0.01). CONCLUSION: Low dose of P increased GI motility while high dose of P decreased it. During the later period of pregnancy, elevated plasma level of OT may also participate in the gastrointestinal inhibition.

Inhibitory Effect of Progesterone on Inflammatory Factors After Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective Traumatic brain injury （TBI） is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in young people. Inflammatory cytokines play an important part in the pathophysiology of TBI. Recent studies demonstrate that progesterone significantly reduces cerebral edema and enhances functional recovery from TBI and stroke in several animal models. This study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effect of progesterone on inflammatory response after traumatic brain injury. Methods Progesterone was injected intraperitoneally using rats as a model of traumatic brain injury, and Western blot technique was applied to detect the expression of three inflammation-related factors： nuclear factor kappa B p65 （NFκB p65）, glial fibrillary acidic protein （GFAP）, and tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）. The water content of injured brain was also examined. A neurological severity score was recorded to evaluate the effect of progesterone on neurodeficit recovery. Results NFκB p65, GFAP, and TNF-α were increased in all injured animals. In rats treated with progesterone, the expression level of NFκB p65 and TNF-α were reduced significantly in comparison with vehicle-treated rats. However, progesterone did not alter the expression of GFAP in the injured rats. Progesterone also reduced the water content of injured brain and the lesion volume. In addition, progesterone-treated injured rats showed significant improvements in the Neurological Severity Score test, compared with vehicle-treated ones. Conclusions Progesterone inhibits the inflammatory response after experimental traumatic brain injury and mitigates the severity of brain damage.

Progesterone promotes neuronal differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in culture conditions that mimic the brain microenvironment

In this study, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells from full-term neonates born by vagina delivery were cultured in medium containing 150 mg/mL of brain tissue extracts from Sprague-Dawley rats （to mimic the brain microenvironment）. Immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated that the cells differentiated into neuron-like cells. To evaluate the effects of progesterone as a neurosteroid on the neuronal differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, we cultured the cells in medium containing progesterone （0.1, 1, 10 pM） in addition to brain tissue extracts. Reverse transcription-PCR and flow cytometric analysis of neuron specific enolase-positive cells revealed that the percentages of these cells increased significantly following progesterone treatment, with the optimal progesterone concentration for neuron-like differentiation being 1 tJM. These results suggest that progesterone can enhance the neuronal differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in culture medium containing brain tissue extracts to mimic the brain microenvironment.

Effects of estradiol and progesterone on the proinflammatory cytokine production by mononuclear cells from patients with chronic hepatitis C

AIM:To investigate the effects of estradiol (E2) and progesterone on the unstimulated and oxidative stressstimulated production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-8, and macrophage chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with chronic hepatitis C and healthy controls. METHODS:The PBMCs were separated from agematched 72 males and 71 females with and without chronic hepatitis C, who were divided into two groups based on a mean menopausal age of 50 years. Oxidative stress was induced by hydrogen peroxide in the cells incubated in serum-free media. Cytokines in the culture supernatant were measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS:The highest levels of the spontaneous production of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, and MCP-1 by the unstimulated PBMCs were in the older male patients with chronic hepatitis C and the lowest levels were in the premenopausal female healthy controls. E2 inhibited the cytokine production by the unstimulated PBMCs from the older male and post-menopausal female patients, which was further stimulated by progesterone. The exposure to hydrogen peroxide in the PBMCs from the younger male and pre-menopausal female healthy subjects induced the production of cytokines. The change rates of the hydrogen peroxide-stimulated cytokine production were suppressed by E2 and enhanced by progesterone. CONCLUSION:These findings suggest that E2 may play a favorable role in the course of persistent liver injury by preventing the accumulation of monocytes-macrophages and by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine production, whereas progesterone may counteract the favorable E2 effects.

Does progesterone show neuroprotective effects on traumatic brain injury through increasing phosphorylation of Akt in the hippocampus?

There are currently no federally approved neuroprotective agents to treat traumatic brain injury. Progesterone, a hydrophobic steroid hormone, has been shown in recent studies to exhibit neu-roprotective effects in controlled cortical impact rat models. Akt is a protein kinase known to play a role in cell signaling pathways that reduce edema, inlfammation, apoptosis, and promote cell growth in the brain. This study aims to determine if progesterone modulates the phosphor-ylation of Aktvia its threonine 308 phosphorylation site. Phosphorylation at the threonine 308 site is one of several sites responsible for activating Akt and enabling the protein kinase to carry out its neuroprotective effects. To assess the effects of progesterone on Akt phosphorylation, C57BL/6 mice were treated with progesterone （8 mg/kg） at 1 （intraperitonally）, 6, 24, and 48 hours （subcutaneously） post closed-skull traumatic brain injury. The hippocampus was harvest-ed at 72 hours post injury and prepared for western blot analysis. Traumatic brain injury caused a signiifcant decrease in Akt phosphorylation compared to sham operation. However, mice treat-ed with progesterone following traumatic brain injury had an increase in phosphorylation of Akt compared to traumatic brain injury vehicle. Our ifndings suggest that progesterone is a viable treatment option for activating neuroprotective pathways after traumatic brain injury.

Progesterone receptor membrane component 1 as a potential prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma

AIM To investigate the clinicopathological significance of progesterone receptor membrane component 1(PGRMC1) and PGRMC2 in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC). METHODS We performed immunohistochemical staining to evaluate the estrogen receptor(ER), progesterone receptor(PR), PGRMC1, and PGRMC2 in a clinical cohort consisting of 89 paired HCC and non-tumor liver samples. We also analyzed HCC data(n = 373) from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA). We correlated the expression status of PGRMC1 and PGRMC2 with clinicopathological indicators and the clinical outcomes of the HCC patients. We knocked down or overexpressed PGRMC1 in HCC cell lines to evaluate its biological significance in HCC cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and invasion. RESULTS We found that few HCC cases expressed ER(5.6%) and PR(4.5%). In contrast, most HCC cases expressed PGRMC1(89.9%) and PGRMC2(100%). PGRMC1 and PGRMC2 exhibited significantly lower expression in tumor tissue than in non-tumor tissue(P < 0.001). Lower PGRMC1 expression in HCC was significantly associated with higher serum alpha-fetoprotein expression(P = 0.004), poorer tumor differentiation(P = 0.045) and liver capsule penetration(P = 0.038). Low PGRMC1 expression was an independent predictor for worse disease-free survival(P = 0.002, HR = 2.384,CI: 1.377-4.128) in our cases, as well as in the TCGA cohort(P < 0.001, HR = 2.857, CI: 1.781-4.584). The expression of PGRMC2 did not relate to patient outcome. PGRMC1 knockdown promoted a poorly differentiated phenotype and proliferation of HCC cells in vitro, while PGRMC1 overexpression caused the opposite effects.CONCLUSION PGRMC1 is a non-classical hormonal receptor that negatively regulates hepatocarcinogenesis. PGRMC1 down-regulation is associated with progression of HCC and is a poor prognostic indicator.

Distribution and Accumulation of Neodymium and Its Effect on Secretion of Progesterone in Mice

Distribution and accumulation of Nd, and its effect on secretion of progesterone in mice were studied using radioisotope tracer ((()^(147)Nd)) technique. Following single intraperitoneal administration of neodymium traced with (()^(147)Nd) at a dose of 200 mg·kg^(-1), uneven distribution of the radioactive Nd occurred in various tissues and organs. Much amount of (()^(147)Nd) accumulates in the bone, and the residue increases with the lapse of time. Some amount of radioactivity was also detected in eyes, blood and brain, but the accumulation decreased with the time due to excretion and re-distribution in mice. In comparison with controls, concentration of progesterone is found to be significantly lower in the serum of administered mice, indicating a significantly inhibitory effect of Nd on secretion of progesterone.

The Nongenomic Effects of Progesterone in Repressing iNOS Activation through P38MAPK Pathways in Gonococci-Infected Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes and the Clinical Significance

Progesterone has nongenomic effects on inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS),which is mediated by mitogen activated protein kinase(MAPK)pathways.This effect is supposed to have some potential association with asymptomatic gonococcal infections in women by immunological depression.In this study,polymorphonuclear leukocytes(PMNs)challenged by gonococci were used to study the nongenomic effects of progesterone.The activation of iNOS was assessed by measuring [3H] L-arginine converses to [3H] L-citrulline,and t...

Pre-implantation exogenous progesterone and pregnancy in sheep.II.Effects on fetalplacental development and nutrient transporters in late pregnancy

Background:Administration of progesterone(P4)to ewes during the first 9 to 12 days of pregnancy accelerates blastocyst development by day 12 of pregnancy,likely due to P4-induced up-regulation of key genes in uterine epithelia responsible for secretion and transport of components of histotroph into the uterine lumen.This study determined if acceleration of blastocyst development induced by exogenous P4 during the pre-implantation period affects fetal-placental development on day 125 of pregnancy.Suffolk ewes(n=35)were mated to fertile rams and assigned randomly to receive daily intramuscular injections of either corn oil vehicle(CO,n=18)or 25 mg progesterone in CO(P4,n=17)for the first 8 days of pregnancy.All ewes were hysterectomized on day 125 of pregnancy and:1)fetal and placental weights and measurements were recorded;2)endometrial and placental tissues were analyzed for the expression of candidate mRNAs involved in nutrient transport and arginine metabolism;and 3)maternal plasma,fetal plasma,allantoic fluid,and amniotic fluid were analyzed for amino acids,agmatine,polyamines,glucose,and fructose.Results:Treatment of ewes with exogenous P4 did not alter fetal or placental growth,but increased amounts of aspartate and arginine in allantoic fluid and amniotic fluid,respectively.Ewes that received exogenous P4 had greater expression of mRNAs for SLC7A1,SLC7A2,SLC2A1,AGMAT,and ODC1 in endometria,as well as SLC1A4,SLC2A5,SLC2A8 and ODC1 in placentomes.In addition,AZIN2 protein was immunolocalized to uterine luminal and glandular epithelia in P4-treated ewes,whereas AZIN2 localized only to uterine luminal epithelia in CO-treated ewes.Conclusions:This study revealed that exogenous P4 administered in early pregnancy influenced expression of selected genes for nutrient transporters and the expression of a protein involved in polyamine synthesis on day 125 of pregnancy,suggesting a‘programming’effect of P4 on gene expression that affected the composition of nutrients in fetal-placental fluids.

Human sperm pattern of movement during chemotactic ＇e-orientation towards a progesterone source

Human spermatozoa may chemotactically find out the egg by following an increasing gradient of attractant molecules. Although human spermatozoa have been observed to show several of the physiological characteristics of chemotaxis, the chemotactic pattern of movement has not been easy to describe. However, it is apparent that chemotactic cells may be identified while returning to the attractant source. This study characterizes the pattern of movement of human spermatozoa during chemotactic re-orientation towards a progesterone source, which is a physiological attractant candidate. By means of videomicroscopy and image analysis, a chemotactic pattern of movement was identified as the spermatozoon returned towards the source of a chemotactic concentration of progesterone （10 pmol I^-1）. First, as a continuation of its original path, the spermatozoon swims away from the progesterone source with linear movement and then turns back with a transitional movement that can be characterized by an increased velocity and decreased linearity. This sperm behaviour may help the spermatozoon to re-orient itself towards a progesterone source and may be used to identify the few cells that are undergoing chemotaxis at a given time.

The Effect of GnRHa Induced Superovulation on Endometrial Morphology and Estrogen Receptor and Progesterone Receptor in Mouse

To evaluate the effect of GnRHa induced superovulation protocol on endometrial morphology and function. Material & Methods Forty ICR mice were randomly allocated into 4 groups, among them, 2 experimental groups were injected with GnRHa+HMG+hCG, another 2 groups were given saline of same volume as control group. The uterine tissues were investigated at 24 h and 48 h after administration (experimental group) or ovulation (control group).The endometrial thickness, the size of gland and glandular lumen, the total area of glandular cells, the average height of glandular epithelium were measured from routine histological slides using computerized image analysis. The SP immunohistochemistry techniques with monoclonal antibodies were employed to semi quantitatively analize the estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) in glandular cells. Results The endometrial thickness was not significantly different between experimental groups and control groups at 24 h and 48 h (P>0.05).The average area, perimeter, maximal diameter of single gland and glandular lumen, the total area, average height of glandular epithelium in experimental groups were significantly smaller than those of in control groups at equivalent time stages (all P<0.01). The asynchronous development of gland epithelium and stroma cells, namely, pesudostratified glandular epithelium and predecidual changes of stroma cells were seen at same time in experimental groups. The positive percentage (%) and expression intense of ER and PR in glandular epithelium cells were significantly lower in experimental groups than in control groups (P<0.05). Conclusion The protocol with GnRHa had a negative effect on endometrial histological structure and down regulated the express of ER and PR, suggesting that this protocol effect on the endometrial morphology and function and could not facilitate the formation of a physiologic endometrium completely, which may be one of the causes of low pregnancy rates.