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Expression Pattern of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Canine Folliculogenesis and its Effect on the Growth and Development of Follicles after Ovarian Organ Culture
Author(s) -
AbdelGhani MA,
Shimizu T,
Suzuki H
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
reproduction in domestic animals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.546
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1439-0531
pISSN - 0936-6768
DOI - 10.1111/rda.12357
Subject(s) - folliculogenesis , theca , follicle , biology , ovary , antral follicle , vascular endothelial growth factor , organ culture , follicular phase , ovarian follicle , medicine , endocrinology , andrology , follicular fluid , immunohistochemistry , angiogenesis , oocyte , embryogenesis , microbiology and biotechnology , in vitro , vegf receptors , embryo , immunology , cancer research , biochemistry
Contents In this study, the expressions of VEGF in dog follicles were detected by immunohistochemistry and the effects of VEGF treatment on the primordial to primary follicle transition and on subsequent follicle progression were examined using a dog ovary organ culture system. The frozen‐thawed canine ovarian follicles within slices of ovarian cortical tissue were cultured for 7 and 14 days in presence or absence of VEGF . After culture, the ovaries were fixed, sectioned, stained and counted for morphologic analysis. The results showed that VEGF was expressed in the theca cells of antral follicles and in the granulosa cells nearest the oocyte in preantral follicle but not in granulosa cells of primordial and primary follicles; however, the VEGF protein was expressed in CL . After in vitro culture, VEGF caused a decrease in the number of primordial follicles and concomitant increase in the number of primary follicles that showed growth initiation and reached the secondary and preantral stages of development after 7 and 14 days. Follicular viability was also improved in the presence of VEGF after 7 and 14 days in culture. In conclusion, treatment with VEGF was found to promote the activation of primordial follicle development that could provide an alternative approach to stimulate early follicle development in dogs.