Issue |
Reprod. Nutr. Dev.
Volume 42, Number 4, July-August 2002
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 327 - 338 | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/rnd:2002029 |
DOI: 10.1051/rnd:2002029
The influence of estradiol and progesterone on the concentrations of uterine oxytocin receptors and plasma PGFM in response to oxytocin in ovariectomized gilts
Anita Franczaka, Jaroslaw Staszkiewicza, Marek Koziorowskib and Genowefa Kotwicaaa Department of Animal Physiology, University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Oczapowski st. 5, 10-178 Olsztyn, Poland
b Department of Animal Physiology and Reproduction, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
(Received 11 March 2002; accepted 24 June 2002)
Abstract
Peripubertal gilts (
n = 25) were treated with corn oil (CO) or ovarian steroids,
one month following an ovariectomy. The first day of treatment was assigned as
the first day of the experiment. The gilts received: Group (Gr) I (
n = 4) - CO
(2 ml
day
-1 from 1st to 12th day), Gr II (
n = 4) and Gr III (
n = 4)
- progesterone (P
4; 10 to 100 mg
day
-1 from 1st to 12th day), Gr IV
(
n = 5) - estradiol benzoate (EB; 400
g
day
-1 from 1st to 3rd day),
Gr V (
n = 4) and Gr VI (
n = 4) - EB + P
4 (EB 400
g
day
-1
from 1st to 3rd day, 20
g
day
-1 at 6th and 9th day, 50
g at
12th day plus P
4 10 to 100 mg from 4th to 15th day). All gilts were injected with
oxytocin (OT; 20 IU; i.v.) on the following days of the experiment: 13th (Gr I and Gr II),
15th (Gr III and Gr IV), 16th (Gr V) and 18th (Gr VI). Concentrations of the PGF
metabolite - PGFM were determined in blood samples, collected from 30 min before
to 120 min after OT injection. Baseline PGFM concentrations (30 min before OT)
differed among treatment groups and were the highest in Gr V and Gr VI
(
P < 0.01 vs. other groups). The magnitude of the PGFM response to OT increased
only in four of the five gilts of Gr IV and in three of the four gilts of Gr VI,
and it was higher (
P = 0.009) in Gr VI than in Gr IV. In the remaining groups,
PGFM concentrations did not increase above the baseline in response to OT. The day
after OT injection, oxytocin receptors (OTR) were found in the uterine tissues of
all animals studied. The lowest OTR concentrations were in Gr I - 75.5
11.2
fmol
mg protein
-1 and the highest in Gr IV - 712.9
86.7 fmol
mg
protein
-1; (
P < 0.05 vs. other groups). The values of K
of OTR differed
among groups (
P < 0.001) and ranged from 1.62
0.44 nM in Gr I to
12. 08
1.9 nM in Gr VI. A positive correlation (
r = 0.54;
P < 0.01)
between plasma E
2 and uterine OTR concentrations was observed. In conclusion,
E
2 and P
4 are involved in both PGF
synthesis/secretion and OTR
formation, however, full PGF
response to OT does not develop before
puberty. Estrogens are evident stimulators of uterine OTR synthesis in gilts.
Key words: prostaglandin F

Correspondence and reprints: Genowefa Kotwica
e-mail: gkotwica@uwm.edu.pl
© INRA, EDP Sciences 2002