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The Journal of Reproduction and... Aug 2016The induction of pseudopregnancy by the exogenous administration of estradiol dipropionate (EDP) was investigated in cyclic Microminipigs (MMpigs) and the effects of...
The induction of pseudopregnancy by the exogenous administration of estradiol dipropionate (EDP) was investigated in cyclic Microminipigs (MMpigs) and the effects of exogenous administration of prostaglandin (PG) F2α on estrus exhibition were assessed in pseudopregnant MMpigs. In experiment 1, ovariectomized MMpigs were given a single intramuscular injection of 0.5, 1.5, or 2.5 mg of EDP. The estradiol-17β level at each of these doses was significantly higher 1 to 3 days after EDP administration than on the day of the injection. In experiment 2, animals were given 1.5 mg of EDP once at 9 to 12 days after the end of estrus (D0) and then no (1.5 mg × 1 group), one (D0 and D4; 1.5 mg × 2 group), or two (D0, D4 and D7; 1.5 mg × 3 group) additional treatments. The pseudopregnancy rate was significantly higher in the 1.5 mg × 3 than in the 1.5 mg × 1 group. In experiment 3, PGF2α was administered twice between 26 and 28 days after EDP treatment to five pseudopregnant gilts with a 24-h interval between the two injections. Estrus after PGF2α treatment and LH surge were observed in 100% and 80% pseudopregnant MMpigs, respectively. The interval from the day of the first PGF2α treatment to the onset of estrus was 6.5 ± 0.2 days. These results indicate that multiple EDP treatments are required for induction of pseudopregnancy in MMpigs and estrus exhibition can be controlled in MMpigs by treatment with EDP and PGF2α.
Topics: Animals; Dinoprost; Estradiol; Estrus Synchronization; Female; Ovariectomy; Pseudopregnancy; Swine; Swine, Miniature
PubMed: 27151362
DOI: 10.1262/jrd.2015-169 -
Journal of Applied Biomechanics Aug 2016During pregnancy, the female body experiences structural changes, such as weight gain. As pregnancy advances, most of the additional mass is concentrated anteriorly on...
During pregnancy, the female body experiences structural changes, such as weight gain. As pregnancy advances, most of the additional mass is concentrated anteriorly on the lower trunk. The purpose of this study is to analyze kinematic and kinetic changes when load is added anteriorly to the trunk, simulating a physical change experienced during pregnancy. Twenty healthy females walked on a treadmill while wearing a custom made pseudo-pregnancy sac (1 kg) under 3 load conditions: sac-only condition, 10-lb condition (4.535 kg added anteriorly), and 20-lb condition (9.07 kg added anteriorly), used to simulate pregnancy in the second trimester and at full-term pregnancy, respectively. The increase in anterior mass resulted in kinematic changes at the knee, hip, pelvis, and trunk in the sagittal and frontal planes. In addition, ankle, knee, and hip joint moments normalized to baseline mass increased with increased load; however, these moments decreased when normalized to total mass. These kinematic and kinetic changes may suggest that women modify gait biomechanics to reduce the effect of added load. Furthermore, the increase in joint moments increases stress on the musculoskeletal system and may contribute to musculoskeletal pain.
Topics: Biomechanical Phenomena; Female; Gait; Humans; Lower Extremity; Pregnancy; Thorax; Weight Gain; Young Adult
PubMed: 26958743
DOI: 10.1123/jab.2015-0178 -
Journal of the American Association For... Jan 2016Here we describe a case of pseudopregnancy in a New Zealand White rabbit as a result of pair housing with an aggressive conspecific. Clinical signs included fur pulling...
Here we describe a case of pseudopregnancy in a New Zealand White rabbit as a result of pair housing with an aggressive conspecific. Clinical signs included fur pulling and nest building that developed shortly after separation from the aggressor. An ovariohysterectomy was performed, and histopathologic findings support the diagnosis of pseudopregnancy. When introducing adult female rabbits to pair housing, stable pairs may be difficult to achieve because of the dominance-associated behavior that can occur as hierarchal relationships are formed. Does that are pair-housed after puberty should be monitored for aggressive behavior.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Female; Housing, Animal; Incidence; Pseudopregnancy; Rabbits
PubMed: 26817987
DOI: No ID Found -
FASEB Journal : Official Publication of... Apr 2016Embryo implantation requires that the uterus differentiate into the receptive state. Failure to attain uterine receptivity will impede blastocyst attachment and result...
Embryo implantation requires that the uterus differentiate into the receptive state. Failure to attain uterine receptivity will impede blastocyst attachment and result in a compromised pregnancy. The molecular mechanism by which the uterus transitions from the prereceptive to the receptive stage is complex, involving an intricate interplay of various molecules. We recently found that mice with uterine deletion ofMsxgenes (Msx1(d/d)/Msx2(d/d)) are infertile because of implantation failure associated with heightened apicobasal polarity of luminal epithelial cells during the receptive period. However, information on Msx's roles in regulating epithelial polarity remains limited. To gain further insight, we analyzed cell-type-specific gene expression by RNA sequencing of separated luminal epithelial and stromal cells by laser capture microdissection fromMsx1(d/d)/Msx2(d/d)and floxed mouse uteri on d 4 of pseudopregnancy. We found that claudin-1, a tight junction protein, and small proline-rich (Sprr2) protein, a major component of cornified envelopes in keratinized epidermis, were substantially up-regulated inMsx1(d/d)/Msx2(d/d)uterine epithelia. These factors also exhibited unique epithelial expression patterns at the implantation chamber (crypt) inMsx1(f/f)/Msx2(f/f)females; the patterns were lost inMsx1(d/d)/Msx2(d/d)epithelia on d 5, suggesting important roles during implantation. The results suggest thatMsxgenes play important roles during uterine receptivity including modulation of epithelial junctional activity.-Sun, X., Park, C. B., Deng, W., Potter, S. S., Dey, S. K. Uterine inactivation of muscle segment homeobox (Msx) genes alters epithelial cell junction proteins during embryo implantation.
Topics: Animals; Claudin-1; Cornified Envelope Proline-Rich Proteins; Embryo Implantation; Epithelial Cells; Female; Fluorescent Antibody Technique; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Ontology; Gene Regulatory Networks; Homeodomain Proteins; In Situ Hybridization; MSX1 Transcription Factor; Male; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Mice, Transgenic; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Uterus
PubMed: 26667042
DOI: 10.1096/fj.15-282798 -
Scientific Reports Nov 2015Receptivity is a limited time in which uterine endometrium can establish a successful dialogue with blastocyst. This study was to investigate the effect of asynchronous...
Receptivity is a limited time in which uterine endometrium can establish a successful dialogue with blastocyst. This study was to investigate the effect of asynchronous embryo transfer on uterine receptivity in mice. Embryos under different stages were transferred into two oviduct sides of a recipient mouse on day 1 of pseudopregnancy. Our results showed the asynchronously transferred embryos can implant in all groups. Compared to zygote-transfer group, the length of implanted embryos is longer in 8-cell embryo- or blastocyst-transfer group. The levels of Snail and COX-2 immunostaining in blastocyst-transfer group are significantly stronger than that in zygote-transfer group. Embryos in blastocyst-transfer group migrate faster than that in zygote-transfer group within uterus. Blastocysts are in a state of developmental delay after they are transferred into oviducts, and they are reactivated and implanted rapidly in uterus. The developmental rate to newborn in zygote-transfer group is obviously higher than that in blastocyst-transfer group, suggesting that a delay in embryo development and implantation will lead to a decrease of litter size. These results indicated that the window of implantation is differentially regulated in two uterine horns of a recipient by embryos at different stages.
Topics: Animals; Blastocyst; Cyclooxygenase 2; Embryo Implantation; Embryo Transfer; Embryonic Development; Endometrium; Female; Male; Mice; Pseudopregnancy; Snail Family Transcription Factors; Transcription Factors; Zygote
PubMed: 26531680
DOI: 10.1038/srep15897 -
PloS One 2015To determine the function of Annexin A2 (Axna2) in mouse embryo implantation in vivo, experimental manipulation of Axna2 activities was performed in mouse endometrial...
To determine the function of Annexin A2 (Axna2) in mouse embryo implantation in vivo, experimental manipulation of Axna2 activities was performed in mouse endometrial tissue in vivo and in vitro. Histological examination of endometrial tissues was performed throughout the reproduction cycle and after steroid treatment. Embryo implantation was determined after blockage of the Axna2 activities by siRNA or anti-Axna2 antibody. The expression of Axna2 immunoreactivies in the endometrial luminal epithelium changed cyclically in the estrus cycle and was upregulated by estrogen. After nidatory estrogen surge, there was a concentration of Axna2 immunoreactivities at the interface between the implanting embryo and the luminal epithelium. The phenomenon was likely to be induced by the implanting embryos as no such concentration of signal was observed in the inter-implantation sites and in pseudopregnancy. Knockdown of Axna2 by siRNA reduced attachment of mouse blastocysts onto endometrial tissues in vitro. Consistently, the number of implantation sites was significantly reduced after infusion of anti-Axna2 antibody into the uterine cavity. Steroids and embryos modulate the expression of Axna2 in the endometrial epithelium. Axna2 may function as an adhesion molecule during embryo implantation in mice.
Topics: Animals; Annexin A2; Blastocyst; Cell Adhesion Molecules; Embryo Implantation; Endometrium; Epithelium; Estrogens; Female; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Pseudopregnancy
PubMed: 26444699
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139506 -
Genetics and Molecular Research : GMR Aug 2015The corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine structure in mammals that plays an important role in the female reproductive cycle and is formed from a ruptured and ovulated...
The corpus luteum is a temporary endocrine structure in mammals that plays an important role in the female reproductive cycle and is formed from a ruptured and ovulated follicle with rapid angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is thought to be vital in normal and abnormal angiogenesis in the ovary, but the molecular regulation of luteal VEGF expression during corpus luteum development in vivo is still poorly understood at present. Therefore, we examined whether hypoxia-inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a) is induced and regulates VEGF expression and luteal function in vivo using a pseudopregnant rat model treated with a small-molecule inhibitor of HIF-1a, echinomycin. Corpus luteum development in the pseudopregnant rat ovary was determined after measuring plasma progesterone concentration and ovarian prostaglandin F2a content to reflect changes in HIF-1a and VEGF on different days of this developmental process. At day 7, the corpus luteum was formed and the expression of HIF- 1a/VEGF reached a maximum, while a significant decrease in HIF-1a/ VEGF expression was observed when luteolysis occurred at day 13. Additionally, echinomycin blocked luteal development by inhibiting VEGF expression mediated by HIF-1a and following luteal function by detecting the progesterone changes at day 7. These results demonstrated that HIF-1a-mediated VEGF expression might be an important mechanism regulating ovarian luteal development in mammals in vivo, which may provide new strategies for fertility control and for treating some types of ovarian dysfunction, such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, and ovarian neoplasia.
Topics: Animals; Corpus Luteum; Corpus Luteum Maintenance; Dinoprost; Female; Gene Expression Regulation; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Male; Ovary; Pregnancy; Progesterone; Pseudopregnancy; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Signal Transduction; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A
PubMed: 26345811
DOI: 10.4238/2015.August.3.3 -
Biology Open May 2015The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide with the trend of patients being young and creating a significant burden on health systems, including reproductive...
The prevalence of diabetes is increasing worldwide with the trend of patients being young and creating a significant burden on health systems, including reproductive problems, but the effects of diabetes on embryo implantation are still poorly understood. Our study was to examine effects of diabetes on mouse embryo implantation, providing experimental basis for treating diabetes and its complications. Streptozotocin (STZ) was applied to induce type 1 diabetes from day 2 of pregnancy or pseudopregnancy in mice. Embryo transfer was used to analyze effects of uterine environment on embryo implantation. Our results revealed that the implantation rate is significantly reduced in diabetic mice compared to controls, and the change of uterine environment is the main reason leading to the decreased implantation rate. Compared to control, the levels of LIF and p-STAT3 are significantly decreased in diabetic mice on day 4 of pregnancy, and serum estrogen level is significantly higher. Estrogen stimulates LIF expression under physiological level, but the excessive estrogen inhibits LIF expression. LIF, progesterone or insulin supplement can rescue embryo implantation in diabetic mice. Our data indicated that the dysregulated LIF-STAT3 pathway caused by the high level of estrogen results in the impaired implantation in diabetic mice, which can be rescued by LIF, progesterone or insulin supplement.
PubMed: 26002932
DOI: 10.1242/bio.011890 -
PloS One 2015Current human fertilization in vitro (IVF) bypasses the female oviduct and manually inseminates, fertilizes and cultivates embryos in a static microdrop containing...
Current human fertilization in vitro (IVF) bypasses the female oviduct and manually inseminates, fertilizes and cultivates embryos in a static microdrop containing appropriate chemical compounds. A microfluidic microchannel system for IVF is considered to provide an improved in-vivo-mimicking environment to enhance the development in a culture system for an embryo before implantation. We demonstrate a novel digitalized microfluidic device powered with electrowetting on a dielectric (EWOD) to culture an embryo in vitro in a single droplet in a microfluidic environment to mimic the environment in vivo for development of the embryo and to culture the embryos with good development and live births. Our results show that the dynamic culture powered with EWOD can manipulate a single droplet containing one mouse embryo and culture to the blastocyst stage. The rate of embryo cleavage to a hatching blastocyst with a dynamic culture is significantly greater than that with a traditional static culture (p<0.05). The EWOD chip enhances the culture of mouse embryos in a dynamic environment. To test the reproductive outcome of the embryos collected from an EWOD chip as a culture system, we transferred embryos to pseudo-pregnant female mice and produced live births. These results demonstrate that an EWOD-based microfluidic device is capable of culturing mammalian embryos in a microfluidic biological manner, presaging future clinical application.
Topics: Animals; Blastocyst; Cell Survival; Electrowetting; Embryo Culture Techniques; Embryo Transfer; Embryo, Mammalian; Female; Mice; Microfluidics; Pseudopregnancy
PubMed: 25933003
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124196 -
International Journal of Fertility &... 2015Establishment of viable pregnancy requires embryo implantation and placentation. Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a pregnancy complication which occurs when an embryo implants...
BACKGROUND
Establishment of viable pregnancy requires embryo implantation and placentation. Ectopic pregnancy (EP) is a pregnancy complication which occurs when an embryo implants outside of the uterine cavity, most often in a fallopian tube. On the other hand, an important aspect of successful implantation is angiogenesis. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a potent angiogenic factor responsible for vascular development that acts through its receptors, VEGF receptor 1 (VEGFR1) and VEGFR2. This study aims to investigate mRNA expression of VEGF and its receptors in fallopian tubes of women who have EP compared with fallopian tubes of pseudo-pregnant women. We hypothesize that expression of VEGF and its receptors in human fallopian tubes may change during EP.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This was a case-control study. The case group consisted of women who underwent salpingectomy because of EP. The control group consisted of women with normal fallopian tubes that underwent hysterectomy. Prior to tubal sampling, each control subject received an injection of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) to produce a state of pseudo-pregnancy. Fallopian tubes from both groups were procured. We investigated VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 mRNA expressions in different sections of these tubes (infundibulum, ampulla and isthmus) by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and quantitative PCR (Q-PCR).
RESULTS
RT-PCR showed expressions of these genes in all sections of the fallopian tubes in both groups. Q-PCR analysis revealed that expressions of VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 were lower in all sections of the fallopian tubes from the case group compared to the controls. Only VEGFR2 had higher expression in the ampulla of the case group.
CONCLUSION
Decreased expressions of VEGF, VEGFR1 and VEGFR2 in the EP group may have a role in the pathogenesis of embryo implantation in fallopian tubes.
PubMed: 25918593
DOI: 10.22074/ijfs.2015.4209