• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Embryo Transfer Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.3-6
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• 2003

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.8
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• pp.1059-1062
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• 2000

The objective of the investigation was to study the effect of intramuscular $PGF_2\;{\alpha}$ and GnRH on estrus behavior and ovarian response in Murrah buffalo heifers. Twelve Murrah buffalo heifers at 32 months of age that had not exhibited behavioral estrus symptom were included in the experiment. Out of 12,4 heifers were in follicular phase (plasma estradiol $57.05{\pm}12.52pg/ml$), another 4 heifers were in luteal phase (Plasma progesterone $2.24{\pm}0.25ng/ml$) while the ovaries of remaining four heifers were inactive (estradiol $23.70{\pm}1.66pg/ml$and progesterone $0.32{\pm}0.06ng/ml$). $PGF_2\;{\alpha}$ (25 mg, Lutalyse, im) and GnRH (200 ug, Fertagyl, iv) was administered to each heifer at interval of 10 days. The plasma progesterone concentration decreased within 48 hrs after $PGF_2\;{\alpha}$ injection and followed thereafter with follicular growth, estrus and ovulation. GnRH administration induced follicular growth, elevation of plasma estradiol concentration with subsequent exhibition of behavioral estrus in 2 out of 4 heifers having inactive ovary. The observation reveals that Murrah buffalo heifers at 32 months of age have developed receptors for $PGF_2\;{\alpha}$ and GnRH on ovarian and pituitary tissue respectively and response the single injection of $PGF_2\;{\alpha}$ and GnRH similar to the mature cycling animals.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.10-14
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• 2012

The ovarian follicles develop initially from primordial follicles. The majority of ovarian primordial follicles are maintained quiescently as a reserve for the reproductive life span. Only a few of them are activated and develop to an advanced follicular stage. The maintenance of dormancy and activation of primordial follicles are controlled by coordinated actions of a suppressor/activator with close communications with somatic cells and intra-oocyte signaling pathways. Many growth factors and signaling pathways have been identified and the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily plays important roles in early folliculogenesis. However, the mechanism of maintaining the dormancy and survival of primordial follicles has remained unknown for decades. Recently, since the first finding that all primordial follicles are activated prematurely in mice deficient forkhead box O3a, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase/phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) signaling pathway was reported to be important in the regulation of dormancy and initial follicular activation. With these informations on early folliculogenesis, clinical application can be expected such as in vitro maturation of immature oocytes or in vitro activation of follicles by PTEN inhibitor in cryopreserved ovarian cortical tissues for fertility preservation.

• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.165-173
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• 1992

In order to study the mechanism of follicle growth and maturation, and also to supplement the criteria identifying the follicle state of normal of atretic, the histochemical investigation on the ovarian follicles according to the ovarian cycle of mouse, rat and pig has been done. The intercellular space of granulosa cells, especailly Call-Exner body, and follicular fluid in the antrum showed positive to PAS, and blue stain by trichrome dye. The resutls suggest that the mucous polysaccharide was synthesized by the granulosa cells, and secreted into the antrum through Call-Exner body so as to be the components of the follicular fluid as the follicles proceeded to growth and maturation. The further the follicles proceeded to atresia the more densely their theca externa were stained blue by follicles proceeded to atresia the more densely their theca externa were stained blue by trichrome dye, and the more densely the granulosa cells were stained red by oil red 0 dye. Therefore, these staining methods can be applied to the criteria identifying the follicle atresia.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.163-167
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• 2006

The purpose of the present study was to establish culture conditions for the in vitro study of the neonatal piglet Sertoli cell. Isolation for the culture of Sertoli cell was established using collagenase and pancreatin digestion of testicular tissues. The effects of various culture media, fetal bovine serum(FBS), follicular stimulating hormone(FSH), epidermal growth factor(EGF) and insulin-transferrin-sodium selenite(ITS) on growth of neonatal piglet Sertoli cells were investigated. The mitogenic effects of Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium+Ham's F-12 medium was higher than other media used in this experiment. The addition of 1% FBS in cultures was necessary for attachment of Sertoli cell clusters. However, except FBS and EGF, FSH and ITS did not stimulate Sertoli cell proliferation. When Sertoli cells isolated from neonatal piglets were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium+Ham's F-12 medium supplemented with 1% FBS, FSH EGF and ITS, the yield and plating efficiency of Sertoli cells were largely increased. Confluency of Sertoli cells was reached as early as 4 days of culture. The method described here reduces or eliminates many of the drawbacks of the conventional procedures used to isolate and culture of Sertoli cells, thus providing a useful tool in studies of growth kinetics and regulation of cell proliferation in vitro.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.241-245
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• 1994

Despite increasing success rate of IVF, poor response to ovarian stimulation remains a problem. So, attempts to improve ovarian responses, for example, by using combined gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue(GnRH-a) and human menopausal gonadotropin(hMG) have shown limited success. It is reported that response of granulosa cells in vitro to FSH is stimulated by co-incubation with IGF-l, and IGF-l production can be increased by growth hormone. This suggest that combination regimen of G.H. and hMG may augment follicle recruitment. In fifteen patients who had previous history of poor ovarian response to gonadotropin stimulation after pituitary suppression with mid -luteal GnRH-a, the effectiveness of cotreatment with G.H. in IVF program was evaluated using a combination regimen of G.R. and hMG at Korea University Hospital IVF Clinic. Ovarian responses to gonadotropin stimulation in control and GH-treated cycles assessed by total dose and duration of hMG treatment, follicular development and peak $E_2$ level, number of eggs retrieved, and fertilization rates were also assessed. In each group, serum and follicular fluid IGF-1 concentrations on day of egg collection were measured by RIA after acidification and extraction by reveresed phase chromatography. Patients receiving G.H. required fewer days and ampules of gonadotropins, developed more oocytes, and more embryos transferred. But, the differences were not statistically significant, except the duration of hMG treatment. Our data showed a significantly higher concentration of IGF-l in the serum, not in the follicular fluid, of patients treated with G.H. compared with control group. These data suggest that growth hormone treatment does not improve the ovarian response in women with limited ovarian reserve to gonadotropin stimulation for IVF.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.245-249
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• 1998

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of growth factors such as epidermal growth factor (EGF) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) on maturation of bovine follicular oocytes in vitro. Oocytes were recovered from the ovaries of slaughtered Hanwoos. The oocytes were matured in TCM 199 at 39$^{\circ}C$, 5% $CO_2$ in air. Growth factors were added to maturation medium as follows: control (no serum), EGF (10ng/m1, 50ng/ml or 100ng/m1), IGF-1 (100ng/m1) and EGF (50ng/ml) + IGF-1 (100ng/m1). The oocytes were placed onto a slide and stained with aceto-orcein dye. Nuclear maturation was evaluated and classified as germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), metaphase-I (MI) or metaphase-ll(Mll). Maturation rates were 37.9% (control), 45.8% (EGF, 10ng/m1), 55.8% (EGF, 50ng/ml), 44.4% (EGF, 100ng/m1), 46.7% (IGF-1, 100ng/m1) and 67.0% (IGF-1+EGF). The highest group developed to Mll stage was IGF-1+EGF treatment group (p<0.05). Therefore, nuclear maturation of bovine oocytes were affected by both of growth factors, and it seems to have a mutual activity between them.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.145-150
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• 2009

This study was conducted to examine the effects of human follicular fluid and gonadotropin (FSH+HCG+rhEGF) on in vitro maturation, fertilization and development of human immature oocytes. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were collected following for in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) cycles of the patients. At the time of oocytes collection, oocytes were classified into MII, MI and GV in accordance with their appearance (MII: Fully mature oocyte at metaphase II of meiosis; MI: Nearly mature oocytes at metaphase I of meiosis; GV: Immature oocytes at prophase I of meiosis). After controlled ovarian stimulation using gonadotropin(FSH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) in 70 ICSI cycles, 158 MI to MII matured oocytes were intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) ${\sim}4$ h after in vitro culture and 553 MII oocytes were ICSI after denudation. The aspirated MI and GV oocytes were cultured in culture medium containing 10% (v/v) serum protein substitute (SPS), 10% (v/v) human follicular fluid (hFF) and 10% (v/v) serum protein substitute (SPS)+1 IU/ml FSH+10 IU/ml HCG+10 ng/ml recombinant human epidermal growth factor (rhEGF). The maturation rate of immature oocytes was similar among the three group. When maturation medium was supplemented with 10% SPS, 10% hFF or gonadotropins, the fertilization rate of in vitro matured oocytes was higher in 10% SPS (80.0%), but there was no statistical significance (78.2%; hFF, 76.9%; gonadotropin, p>0.05). The development rate of human embryos developed to $6{\sim}8$ cells were not significant difference in the medium containing SPS, hFF and gonadotropins (65.6%, 65.9% and 66.7%). The results of these study suggest that human follicular fluid and gonadotropins supplemented in the culture medium was not effected on the in vitro maturation, fertilization and development of human immature oocytes.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.277-282
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• 1996

Serum inhibin concentrations, determimed by radioimmunoassay, were measured in women undergoing pituitary suppression with Decapeptyl and subsequently ovarian stimulation with Highly Purified-Metrodin(HP-FSH) to appraise follicular development. Early follicular basal serum inhibin level correlated with the number of oocytes retrieved(r=0.89, n=8, p<0.05). The number of oocytes retrieved showed a significant correlation with serum inhibin level on the day of hCG administration(r=0.73, n=8, p<0.05). The number of mature oocytes showed a significant correlation with serum inhibin level on the day of hCG administration(r=0.73, n=8, p<0.05). These data suggest that: (1) In the early follicular phase, basal serum inhibin may be a valid index to predict ensuing follicular growth : (2) In the preovulatory phase, maximum serum inhibin may be one of the indexes of follicular development during hyperstimulation cycles.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.157-159
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• 2005

Two-month old male Shih Tzu weighing 2.1 kg was presented with alopecia in black-haired areas of the skin. The hair loss had been present since five weeks of age. There was no history of pruritus on any part of the body. No other symptoms had been recognized. Physical examination found no abnormalities other than hair loss. Skin examination showed marked alopecia of black-haired area of the body. The white areas appeared to have hair growth of normal density and texture. Affected pigmented areas showed no evidence of skin lesions. Skin scraping and fungal culture were negative. Microscopic examination of plucked black hairs showed marked pigment clumping in the remnants of the follicles and were mainly in telogen phase. But white hairs were normal in various stages of hair growth. The diagnosis of black hair follicular dysplasia was made based on the history, alopecia of the pigmented areas, the confinement of abnormalities to dark areas, and the normal unpigmented areas.