• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.60 no.6
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• pp.11.1-11.7
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• 2018

After pubertal, cohort of small antral follicles enters to gonadotrophin-sensitive development, called recruited follicles. This study was aimed to identify candidate genes in follicular cyclic recruitment via analysis of protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in ovine granulosa cells of small antral follicles between follicular and luteal phases were accumulated among gene/protein symbols of the Ensembl annotation. Following directed graphs, PTPN6 and FYN have the highest indegree and outdegree, respectively. Since, these hubs being up-regulated in ovine granulosa cells of small antral follicles during the follicular phase, it represents an accumulation of blood immune cells in follicular phase in comparison with luteal phase. By contrast, the up-regulated hubs in the luteal phase including CDK1, INSRR and TOP2A which stimulated DNA replication and proliferation of granulosa cells, they known as candidate genes of the cyclic recruitment.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.347-351
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• 2021

Objective: We investigated the impact of vitamin D₃ (VD3) supplementation during mouse preantral follicle culture in vitro and the mRNA expression of 25-hydroxylase (CYP2R1), 1-alpha-hydroxylase (CYP27B1), and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in mouse ovarian follicles at different stages. Methods: Preantral follicles were retrieved from 39 BDF1 mice (7-8 weeks old) and then cultured in vitro for 12 days under VD3 supplementation (0, 25, and 50 pg/mL). Follicular development and the final oocyte acquisition were assessed. Preantral follicles were retrieved from 15 other BDF1 mice (7-8 weeks old) and cultured without VD3 supplementation. Three stages of mouse ovarian follicles were obtained (preantral, antral, and ruptured follicles). Total RNA was extracted from the pooled cells (from 20 follicles at each stage), and then reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was performed to identify mRNA for CYP2R1, CYP27B1, and VDR. Results: The survival of preantral follicles, rates of antrum formation and ruptured follicles (per initiated follicle) and the number of total or mature oocytes were all comparable among the three groups. Both CYP2R1 and CYP27B1 were expressed in antral and ruptured follicles, but not in preantral follicles. VDR was expressed in all three follicular stages. Conclusion: VD3 supplementation in vitro (25 or 50 pg/mL) did not enhance mouse follicular development or final oocyte acquisition. Follicular stage-specific expression of CYP2R1, CYP27B1, and VDR was observed.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.141-151
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• 1987

A total of 1200 Korean native cow and 240 dairy cow genitalia were collected during the slaughtering process in Seoul and Kwang Ju abattoir and were examined from July 1985 to March 1986. Ovarian follicles were classified as cystic if the diameter was greater than 2.5cm or if follicles were multiple. In order to investigate the ovarian cysts, anatomical and histological examinations were performed. In addition progesterone and estrogen level in different types of cystic follicular fluid and serum were measured by radioimmunoassay. The results were summerized as follows: 1. The incidences of ovarian cysts were 2.0% in Korean native cow and 7.9% in dairy cow. 2. In distribution of cysts in the left, right and both ovaries, the most encountered ovary was right one. The frequency was 45.8% in right ovaries, 33.4% in left ovaries and 20.8% in both ovaries in Korean native cow. On the contrary the frequency was 42.1% in right ovaries, 31.8% in both ovaries and 26.3% in left ovaries in dairy cow. 3. Six speciemens (25.0%) of Korean native cow and six specimens (31.6%) of dairy cow were associated with corpora lutes in both ovaries. 4. The luteinization of theca layer was most significant in the group 2Aa (71.4%) and 2Ba (38.5%) which associated with no granulosa cell and corpora lutea in the same cystic ovaries. 5. Correlation of progesterone concentration between cystic fluid and serum was found only in the group 2Aa and 2Ab (r=0.86). Progesterone and estrogen concentrations in cystic fluid were closely related to the degree of degeneration of granulosa cell layer. The cystic follicles that consist of thickened theca and degenerated granulosa cell layers contained a large amount of progesterone, and small amount of estrogen. In conclusion, various types of ovarian cysts with various levels of progesterone and estrogen were observed in Korean native cow.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.117-130
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• 2003

This research investigates the fine structural as well as the morphological changes of the mouse ovarian tissue after irradiation of various dose rates of 6 MeV LINAC radiation. The normal structure of the ovarian tissue is consisted of various stages of follicles including primordial and growing follicles, and ovarian stromal connectives. When we observed the ovarian tissues irradiated with a dose rate of 200 cGy/min using light and electron microscopes, granular cells in growing follicles are in irregular shape unlike normal follicles. Small segments of cells scattered in follicular antrum among granular cells. We could observe neutrophils and macrophages around the segments, which means the cells already got in the process of decease owing to the effects radiation. With coincident to the increase of the dose rate of x-ray irradiation as 400 or 600 cGy/min, the mature follicles appeared as an irregular form and the granular cells surrounding oocyte also deformed comparing to their normal counterparts. The granulosa cells within mature follicle are already occurred necrotic change and apoptosis. The nuclei in some cells got so fragmented that the segments formed the shape of a horseshoe or scattered in small and condensed pieces. All the cells at a granular layer irradiated with a dose rate of 600 cGy/min show typical characteristics of apoptosis. The neutrophils involved in inflammatory reaction appear evidently in follicular antrum of growing follicles, and macrophage scattered with residual and apoptotic bodies.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.152-165
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• 2019

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of vitrification on apoptosis and survival in human preantral follicles after thawing. Methods: This experimental study was conducted at an acute tertiary care hospital from March 2012 to April 2013. Ovaries were sliced into 5 × 5 × 1-mm pieces and divided into the following three groups: preantral follicle isolation, ovarian tissue vitrification-warming followed by follicle isolation, and immunohistochemistry of fresh ovarian tissue. For statistical analyses, the Student t-test, chi-square test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used. Results: A total of 161 preantral follicles (70% secondary) were collected from ovarian cortex tissue of six women between 30 and 37 years of age who underwent oophorectomy due to cervical cancer or breast cancer. There were no significant differences in the follicular morphology of fresh preantral follicles and vitrified follicles after thawing. The mean Fas ligand (FasL) mRNA expression level was 0.43 ± 0.20 (relative to β-actin) in fresh preantral follicles versus 0.51 ± 0.20 in vitrified follicles (p= 0.22). The mean caspase-3 mRNA expression level in fresh preantral follicles was 0.56 ± 0.49 vs. 0.27 ± 0.21 in vitrified follicles (p= 0.233). One vitrified-thawed secondary follicle grew and developed to an antral follicle within 6 days of culture. Conclusion: Vitrification did not affect preantral follicle morphology or mRNA expression of the apoptosis markers FasL and caspase-3. Further studies are required to establish whether vitrification affects the outcomes of in vitro culture and the maturation of preantral follicles.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.9
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• pp.1354-1360
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to evaluate if oocytes, aspirated from postovulatory ovarian follicles of superovulated rabbits 14 h post-hCG administration, could be efficiently used as ooplasm recipients for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Within a common SCNT protocol, a comparison between oocytes recovered by direct aspiration (aspirated) from available ovarian follicles and oocytes flushed out from oviducts (flushed) was carried out. The results showed that maturation and enucleation rates of aspirated oocytes were 70.7% and 69.2%, significantly lower than 95.3% (p<0.01) and 83.6% (p<0.05), respectively, from flushed oocytes. However, following enucleation of matured oocytes as ooplasm recipients for SCNT, no difference was recorded in fusion and cleavage rates, as well as blastocyst development from cleaved embryos or hatching of blastocysts between aspirated and flushed groups. Additionally, some matured aspirated and flushed oocytes were also used for immediate parthenogenetic activation and the resulting embryo development was not significantly different. Results from this study show the following: i) the majority of oocytes aspirated from postovulatory ovarian follicles of superovulated rabbits 14 h post-hCG administration are matured and can be used directly as ooplasm recipients for SCNT; ii) the reconstructed embryos derived from these oocytes have similar in vitro developmental ability to those flushed from the oviducts.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.279-286
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• 2000

This study was conducted to develop an improved method for oocyte pick-up(OPU) with finger-sensibility using ultrasound-guidance from ovarian follicles in Holstein heifers. Oocytes were aspirated from ovarian follicles of clear-outline (>2mm), obscure-outline and invisible($\leq$ 2mm) on ultrasound images with 3 different vacuum pressure(40, 80, 120mmHg). Total number of oocytes recovered/follicles were 309/237(130.4%). 113/80(141.3%) and 107/74(144.6%) with 40, 80 and 120 mmHg of vacuum pressure, respectively. Mean number of oocytes recovered was higher in 2 OPU/week (18.3$\pm$5.3) than 1 OPU/week(14.5$\pm$4.1), but this difference was not statistical1y significant. The recovery rates were not affected by the number of OPU as 135.6%(282 oocytes/208 follicles) in 1~20 OPU, 137.7% (168/122) in 21~40 OPU and 148.4%(92/62) in 41~60 OPU, respectively. The proportions of good oocytes (Grades I) recovered were not significantly different by the number of OPU until 40 OPU(12.4% in 1~20 OPU vs 16.7% in 21~40 OPU). However, a significantly(P<0.05) lower recovery rate resulted from more than 40 OPU compared to less than 40 OPU(7.6%). These results imply that more fertilizable oocytes can be produced from invisible-immature follicles by transvaginal aspiration with finger-sensibility from Holstein heifers.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.555-561
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• 2003

Incidence of estrum or abortions in pregnant cows may be affected by large follicles developed together with corpus luteum in pair ovaries of pregnant cows. But the follicles of pregnant phase were not assessed about histological findings. Determination of the healthy and atretic follicles by presence of proliferative cells or apoptotic cells and histological compositions of follicles would be used as important data on measurements of ovarian functions. This study was focussed mainly to investigate macroscopical, histological and immunohistochemical findings of ovarian follicles of pregnant Korean native cows and dairy cows (Holstein). In immunohistochemical methods, assessments of proliferative cells using PCNA antibody and apoptotic cells using TUNEL methods were performed. The follicles were observed on all 24 pregnant cows (17 Korean native cows and 7 Holstein cows). Follicles of greater than 10 mm in daimeter were developed in 37.5% (9/24 heads) of these pregnant cows. largest follicles from in these cows were $16.0{\times}15.0mm$ in diameter in a Korean native cow(l20 days of gestation), $13.4{\times}10.1mm$ in a Korean native cow(50 days of gestation), $12.9{\times}11.5mm$ in a Holstein cow (120 days of gestation). 40.5% among all follicles having diameter of greater than 1.0 mm in pregnant cows were assessed as atretic follicles and in addition, healthy follicles also showed less in number and smaller in size and thinner in wall layer compared with those of cyclic phase ovaries. In immunohistochemical findings, also proliferative positive cells and apoptotic positive cells on the granulosa cell layers in the healthy follicles of pregnant cows appeared less than on those of cyclic follicles. So these follicles were assessed as weakly active follicles. In large follicles, above positive cells were not nearly appeared but granulosa cell debris were more appeared among the granulosa cells. So these large follicles were assessed as inactvie or atretic follicles. The above findings suggest that small follicles of pregnant phase were weakly active or atretic and large follicles were inactive or atretic.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.211-217
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• 2006

Heavy metals are well known as important environmental pollutants and also considered as endocrine disrupters. This study was performed to evaluate the direct effects of heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), and arsenic (As) on the various steroidogenic enzymes in frog ovarian follicles. Ovarian follicles from Rana catesbeiana were isolated and cultured for 18 hours in the presence of frog pituitary homogenate (FPH, 0.05 gland/ml) or various steroid precursors with or without heavy metals (0.01-100 ${\mu}M$), and steroid levels in the follicle or culture medium were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Thus, the steroidogenic enzyme activities were indirectly evaluated by measuring the converted steroid levels from the added precursor steroid. Among heavy metals, Hg, Cd and Zn significantly inhibited FPH-induced pregnenolone ($P_5$) production by the follicles ($EC_{50},\;4.0{\mu}M,\;25.6{\mu}M\;and\;5.7{\mu}M$, respectively ), and also suppressed the conversion of testosterone (T) to estradiol $17{beta}\;(E_2)\;(EC_{50},\;4.2{\mu}M,\;7.5{\mu}M\;and\;80.0{\mu}M) while Pb, Co and As are not or less effective in the inhibition. Other enzymes such as $C_{17-20}$ lyase and $17{\beta}$-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase ($17{\beta}$-HSD) were suppressed only in the high concentration of Hg, Cd and Zn. Taken together, these data demonstrate that cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage (P450scc) and aromatase are much more sensitive to heavy metals than other steroidogenic enzymes and Hg, Cd and Zn show stronger toxicity to follicles than other heavy metals examined.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.123-132
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• 2024

The stressful conditions including heat stress negatively affect to the animal's reproductive performance. Apoptosis of granulosa cells under unexpected stimuli can influence the fate of ovarian follicles and its function. Since the changes in caspase-3, a key executioner of the apoptosis pathway, have not yet been elucidated in heat-stressed sows, this study compared its changes in the ovaries of domestic sows affected by heat stress during summer. The samples were collected at spring (23.1℃; CON group) as suitable temperature for raising pigs or at summer (34.4℃; HS group) as unavoidable chronic heat stress. It was not significant but strong tendency to release higher level of stress hormone (corticosterone) in HS group than that in CON group was identified. A significant upregulation of cleaved (activated) caspase-3 expression in HS group was identified compared to CON group, indicating that apoptosis was increased in the ovarian follicles during summer. The expression of cleaved caspase-3 in the ovaries was positively related with degree of maximal atmospheric temperature and serum levels of corticosterone. The caspase-3-positive cells were more prevalent in mature follicles with localization primarily in the granulosa cell layer than immature follicles. The intensities of caspase-3 in the granulosa cell layer were stronger in HS group than CON group. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that chronic heat stress during summer in Korea increased activated caspase-3-related apoptosis in the granulosa cells in the mature ovarian follicles, which might suggest that heat stress decreased reproductive performance in the domestic sows during summer.