Placental Origin of Prostaglandin F_2αin the Domestic Cat

Abstract

In the present study, the question was addressed whether the feline placenta can synthesize prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α). The PGFS protein was elevated, particularly at 2.5–3 weeks of pregnancy compared to 7-8 (P < 0.05) and 8.5–9 weeks (P < 0.001). Transcripts for PGFS were significantly upregulated at 2.5–3 weeks of pregnancy and then gradually declined towards the end of gestation (P < 0.001). Transcripts for PTGS2 were only upregulated in placentas from queens close to term (P < 0.001) compared with earlier phases. Staining of PTGS2 showed distinct positive signals in placentas obtained during the last week before labor, particularly in the strongly invading trophoblast surrounding blood vessels, and also in decidual cells. Shortly after implantation, signals for PGFS were localized in the trophoblast cells. Near term, PGFS staining was seen mainly in decidual cells. Both placental PGF2α and plasma PGFM were elevated towards the end of pregnancy (P < 0.001) compared with earlier weeks of pregnancy. The content of PGF2α in extracted placenta mirrored the PGFM level in plasma of pregnant females. During late gestation there is a significant increase in PGFM levels in maternal blood and of PGF2α levels in placental tissue concomitant with an upregulation of placental PTGS2.

Synthesis and reception of prostaglandins in corpora lutea of domestic cat and lynx

“…Homogenisation of domestic cat luteal tissue (up to 22 mg), total RNA extraction and reverse transcription to cDNA was done as described previously (Zschockelt et al 2014).…”

“…Lynx luteal tissue (14-26 mg) was homogenised, total RNA was extracted and reverse transcribed to cDNA as described before (Zschockelt et al 2014(Zschockelt et al , 2015. No-reverse-transcription controls were included and RNA concentration and purity were determined; RIN values were above 6.1 (up to 7 and 8.6), indicating that intactness of total RNA was only slightly lowered by moderate partial degradation.…”

“…Total RNA isolation from reproductive tissues of Eurasian and Iberian lynxes (innuSPEED Tissue RNA/innuPREP DNase I Digest Kit; Analytik Jena AG, Jena, Germany) and reverse transcription to cDNA (RevertAid First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit; Life Technologies GmbH) was performed as described previously (Zschockelt et al 2014(Zschockelt et al , 2015. Lynx-specific sequences of the studied genes were not annotated in GenBank before the study.…”

“…(Paape et al 1975, Verhage et al 1976. The ongoing loss of steroidogenic capacity (Siemieniuch et al 2012, Zschockelt et al 2014 and the concomitant structural luteal regression (Dawson 1946, Amelkina et al 2015a) proceed similarly throughout the sequential luteal stages of pregnant and non-pregnant luteal phases. However, it is assumed that the respective corpora lutea (CL) enter the process of luteal regression at different time points, as CL of pregnant cats show early histomorphological signs of regression from days 38-39 onwards (Amelkina et al 2015a), whereas plasma P4 levels indicate that CL of non-pregnant cats begin to regress on day 21 after their formation (Paape et al 1975).…”

Methods of prolonging a pregnancy threatened with preterm labour

“…Luteoliza przedporodowa u suk i kotek jest skutkiem działania prostaglandyny F2α (11). Jej źródłem są tkanki płodowych części łożyska, co wykazano u obu wymienionych gatunków zwierząt (26,38). Skutkiem spadku stężenia P4 jest zanik bloku progesteronowego wobec macicy, której mięśnie odzyskują wrażliwość na oksytocynę.…”