Pharmacological “Rescue” of the Corpus Luteum Results in Increased Inhibin Production

Illingworth, Peter; Reddi, K.; Smith, Kathryn H.; Baird, D. T.

doi:10.1097/00006254-199102000-00021

Cited by 21 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 7 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Four women were administered i.m. injections of HCG (Profasi, Serono Laboratories, Welwyn Garden City, UK) from LH + 7 in daily doubling doses, starting at 125 IU and continuing for 6-8 days to reproduce the hormonal changes of early pregnancy (Illingworth et al, 1990). The tissue was fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde for 24 h. In all cases, morphological dating of the luteal phase endometrium was used to confirm the luteal-phase classification.…”

Section: Tissue Collection and Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cell junctional proteins in the human corpus luteum: changes during the normal cycle and after HCG treatment

et al. 2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BACKGROUND: Regulation of tissue remodelling and ovarian permeability by intercellular adhesion complexes may be involved in normal and pathological ovarian function. Therefore, the occurrence, distribution and hormonal control of the adherens junction protein vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) and the tight junction proteins occludin and claudin in the human corpus luteum (CL) were investigated. METHODS: CLs from patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign reasons were enucleated during early, mid-and late stages of the functional luteal phase and after HCG rescue in vivo. Immunostaining for occludin, claudins 1 and 5 and VE-cadherin was carried out on fixed tissue. Endothelial cells, granulosa lutein cells and theca lutein cells were identified by reference to serial sections immunostained for CD34, 17a-hydroxylase and 3b-hydroxy-steroid-dehydrogenase. Quantitative analyses were performed using image analyses. RESULTS: Occludin was localized to the plasma membrane of granulosa lutein cells and endothelial cells but was absent in theca lutein cells. Claudin 1 was exclusively localized to the plasma membrane of steroidogenic cells. Claudin 5 and VE-cadherin were only present in endothelial cells. After HCG administration in vivo, adherens and tight junction proteins were significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The decrease of junctional proteins after HCG treatment suggests a hormonal control of tight and adherens junctions in the CL associated with tissue remodelling and an increase in luteal permeability during early pregnancy.

show abstract

Section: Tissue Collection and Preparationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cell junctional proteins in the human corpus luteum: changes during the normal cycle and after HCG treatment

et al. 2006

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In addition, rescued corpora lutea were also collected as described previously (Illingworth et al 1990, Duncan et al 1996. Briefly, women (n ¼ 5) received daily injections of hCG (Profasi; Serono Laboratories, Welwyn Garden City, Herts, UK) from LH þ 7 in daily doubling doses, starting at 125 IU, for 5 -8 days until surgery.…”

Section: Collection Of Corpora Luteamentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on the expression of progesterone receptors in human luteal cells in vivo and in vitro

Duncan¹,

Gay²,

Maybin³

2005

Reproduction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The human corpus luteum expresses genomic progesterone receptors (PRs) suggesting that progesterone may have an autocrine or paracrine role in luteal function. We hypothesised that the reduction in luteal PR reported in the late-luteal phase augmented progesterone withdrawal and had a role in luteolysis. We therefore tested the hypothesis that luteal rescue with human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) would maintain PR expression. PR was immunolocalised to different cell types in human corpora lutea (n 5 35) from different stages of the luteal phase and after luteal rescue with exogenous hCG. There was no change in the staining intensity of theca-lutein cell or stromal cell PR throughout the luteal phase or after luteal rescue. In the late-luteal phase, granulosa-lutein cell PR immunostaining was reduced (P < 0.05) but the trend to reduction was also seen after luteal rescue with hCG (P 5 0.055). To further investigate the effect of hCG on granulosa-lutein cell PR expression, an in vitro model system of cultured human luteinised granulosa cells was studied. Cells were cultured for 12 -13 days exposed to different patterns of hCG and aminoglutethamide to manipulate progesterone secretion (P < 0.0001). Expression of PR A/B and PR B isoforms was examined by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. PR A/B mRNA was lower (P < 0.05) after 11 -13 days of culture than after 7 days of culture. This reduction could not be prevented by hCG in the presence (P < 0.05) or absence (P < 0.05) of stimulated progesterone secretion. The expression of PR B mRNA showed a similar pattern (P 5 0.054). Simulated early pregnancy in vivo and hCG treatment of luteinised granulosa cells in vitro did not appear to prevent the down-regulation of PR seen during luteolysis.

show abstract

“…For the remainder of the pregnancy, the placenta is the primary source of serum progesterone. The luteotropic effects of CG have been demonstrated experimentally in nonpregnant primates, including humans [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Treatment of nonpregnant women with hCG on midluteal days of the menstrual cycle, when implantation would normally occur, prolongs the life of the CL and can also increase progesterone secretion [6,7,[10][11][12][13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rescue of the Corpus Luteum in Human Pregnancy1

Baird

Weinberg

McConnaughey

et al. 2003

Biology of Reproduction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Rescue of the corpus luteum from its programmed senescence maintains progesterone production required for pregnancy. In primates, chorionic gonadotropin produced by the developing conceptus acts as the primary luteotrophic signal. The purpose of this research was to assess corpus luteum rescue by examining changes in daily urinary progesterone metabolite levels during the first week after implantation. We determined the variability in progesterone metabolite profiles and evaluated its relationship to early pregnancy loss in 120 naturally conceived human pregnancies, including 43 early pregnancy losses. In other primates, an abrupt increase in the progesterone metabolite occurs at the time of implantation. This pattern occurred in an estimated 45% of the pregnancies in the present study. In the remaining pregnancies, there was a delayed rise (18%), neither a rise or decline (22%), or a decline (15%) during the week after implantation. The estimated rate of early pregnancy loss increased across these categories (from 5% loss with an abrupt rise at implantation to 100% loss with progesterone metabolite decline). Low urinary hCG levels in early pregnancy were significant determinants of a decline in postimplantation progesterone metabolite. However, preimplantation steroid metabolite levels were not significant, suggesting no inherent problem with the corpus luteum. Examination of individual progesterone metabolite profiles in relation to hCG profiles also indicated that few losses were caused by corpus luteum failure. Delineating the functional importance of an abrupt progesterone rise at the time of implantation may provide new strategies for promoting successful implantation in assisted reproduction. corpus luteum, corpus luteum function, human chorionic gonadotropin, pregnancy, progesterone

show abstract

Pharmacological “Rescue” of the Corpus Luteum Results in Increased Inhibin Production

Cited by 21 publications

References 7 publications

Cell junctional proteins in the human corpus luteum: changes during the normal cycle and after HCG treatment

Cell junctional proteins in the human corpus luteum: changes during the normal cycle and after HCG treatment

The effect of human chorionic gonadotrophin on the expression of progesterone receptors in human luteal cells in vivo and in vitro

Rescue of the Corpus Luteum in Human Pregnancy1

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About