ABSTRACT

The formation of new capillaries, both in extraembryonic membranes and in the maternal endometrium, is an essential prerequisite for appropriate feto-maternal relationships throughout pregnancy. At present there is no indication of the nature of the uterine angiogenic stimulus. In-vitro, degradation products of hyaluronic acid, following its catalysis by hyaluronidase, have been shown to have angiogenic properties. In the current study, levels of hyaluronic acid in endometrial tissues and of hyaluronidase and hyaluronic acid in uterine flushings were measured during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy.

The concentration of both hyaluronic acid and hyaluronidase in uterine flushings followed the growth and regression of the corpus luteum, in that basal levels detected on days 0 and 6 increased to peak concentrations on days 12 and 15. By day 18, levels of both hyaluronidase and hyaluronic acid had decreased in cyclic gilts, but remained increased in pregnant pigs. Tissue concentrations of hyaluronic acid were not affected by pregnancy or by the day of the oestrous cycle. In a subsequent experiment, four groups of gilts were ovariectomized on day 4 and thereafter received daily injections of corn oil, progesterone, oestrogen or a combination of oestrogen and progesterone. Hyaluronidase was undetectable in uterine flushings collected on day 15 from corn oil-and oestrogen-treated gilts, but present in similar amounts in uterine flushings from gilts treated with progesterone and progesterone plus oestrogen. Similarly, uterine fluid concentrations of hyaluronic acid were increased in progesterone- and progesterone plus oestrogen-treated gilts, but not in corn oil-or oestrogen-treated pigs. Tissue concentrations of hyaluronic acid were unaffected by steroid treatment.

These results indicate that progesterone stimulates secretion of hyaluronidase and hyaluronic acid; both substances believed to be associated with the presence of an angiogenic factor in the pig uterus, but there was no evidence of a synergistic interaction between progesterone and oestrogen.

Journal of Endocrinology (1990) 125, 15–19

ABSTRACT

To gain insight into the involvement and interactions of the insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and oestrogen in mammary growth and differentiation, the temporal expression of mammary mRNAs encoding components of the IGF system in pregnant and pseudopregnant pigs was examined. Pseudopregnant pigs received 5 mg oestradiol valerate or vehicle daily from day 45 after oestrus and underwent mammary biopsy on days 60, 90 or 112. In mammary tissue of pregnant pigs, steady-state levels of the mRNAs encoding IGF-I, IGF-II and type-I IGF receptor as well as the levels of the membrane-associated type-II IGF receptor were higher during the early phase of mammogenesis (≤day 45) than during the subsequent stages of mammary development. Mammary IGF-I, IGF-II and type-I receptor mRNAs were expressed at their lowest levels around day 90 of pregnancy (20–40% of those for day 30 of pregnancy) coincident with the onset of β-casein mRNA accumulation. Mammary IGF-binding protein-2 (IGFBP-2) mRNA levels increased twofold during the latter half of pregnancy, whereas the amount of IGFBP-3 mRNA declined after day 30 to undetectable levels by midpregnancy. Pseudopregnant pigs had reduced levels of these mRNAs (except for IGF-II) relative to their pregnant counterparts and this was associated with premature differentiation of mammary tissue as reflected by an earlier onset of β-casein mRNA accumulation in the former. The administration of oestradiol valerate decreased the levels of IGF-I and type-I IGF receptor mRNAs by day 60 of pseudopregnancy, but the reverse was evident by day 112. Oestradiol administration increased β-casein mRNA levels in pseudopregnant pigs, but had no effect on mammary IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 mRNA levels. Mammary IGF content was greater in late pregnancy (≥day 90) and pseudopregnancy than at early pregnancy. Serum IGF-I and IGF-II levels declined steadily during pregnancy and this was similar to, but not correlated with, mammary IGF mRNA levels, whereas in pseudopregnant pigs, serum IGF concentrations did not change temporally or in response to oestradiol. Serum IGFBP-2 levels were unaltered during pregnancy or pseudopregnancy, but serum IGFBP-3 levels declined after day 60 of pregnancy. In pseudopregnant pigs, serum IGFBP-3 levels did not change temporally, but declined after oestradiol treatment. Results indicate that mammary IGF-I and type-I IGF receptor systems are down-regulated during pregnancy-associated differentiation of this tissue and in response to oestrogen. Locally produced (autocrine and paracrine) IGFs are likely to mediate mammogenesis, whereas oestrogen stimulates mammary differentiation and lactogenesis in the pig. However, the high mammary IGF content and the reciprocal expression of mammary IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-3 mRNAs during late pregnancy suggests the involvement of IGFs in lactogenesis as well.

Journal of Endocrinology (1993) 137, 473–483

ABSTRACT

The effects of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on aromatase P450 activity and steroid production in preimplantation pig conceptuses were evaluated in vitro. Conceptuses recovered from gilts on days 10 and 12 of pregnancy were incubated for 6 h in modified Eagle's Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) plus IGF-I (0·1 μg/ml) or insulin (8·5 μg/ml), and conceptuses were monitored for their ability to convert [1,2-³H]β-testosterone into oestrogens. Aromatase activity of day-10 conceptuses was low and unaffected by IGF-I or insulin. In contrast, basal aromatase activity in day-12 conceptuses was about threefold higher and was further increased by IGF-I (P < 0·02), but was unaffected by insulin. To determine whether higher aromatase P450 activity was associated with increased oestradiol production, concentrations of oestradiol were determined by radioimmunoassay in culture medium of day-11 and -12 conceptuses, after incubation in MEM alone or in the presence of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHA, 1 μg/ml) with or without IGF-I (0·1 μg/ml) or insulin (0·1 or 8·5 μg/ml) for 24 h. Conceptuses in MEM plus DHA produced more oestradiol (P < 0·01) than those in MEM alone. Addition of IGF-I or insulin did not increase the effect of DHA. Basal oestradiol production was dependent on conceptus size; however, IGF-I or insulin did not affect basal or DHA-stimulated oestradiol production regardless of conceptus size. These findings demonstrate that IGF-I can modulate aromatase activity in vitro, without affecting overall de-novo steroidogenesis. Thus, the developmental increase in conceptus oestradiol production observed during early pregnancy in the pig may reflect synergistic interactions between IGF-I and other regulatory factors present within the conceptus and/or uterine environment.

Journal of Endocrinology (1991) 130, 245–250

ABSTRACT

A radioimmunoassay has been developed for quantitation of ovine trophoblast protein-1 (oTP-1), a sheep conceptus secretory protein which allows for maintenance of the corpus luteum during early pregnancy. The assay was validated for dialysed and undialysed culture medium and pregnant uterine flushings ranging from no dilution (neat) to dilutions of 1:2500 for dialysed media, 1:100-1:1000 for undialysed media and 1:50-1:1000 for pregnant uterine flushings. The assay accurately measured oTP-1 added to undiluted and diluted dialysed and undialysed culture media and pregnant uterine flushings. No cross-reaction was detectable for bovine α or γ interferon, bovine calmodulin, feline conceptus secretory proteins, equine conceptus secretory proteins, porcine conceptus secretory proteins, bovine conceptus secretory proteins and proteins in a uterine flushing collected from a non-pregnant ewe. Immunoreactivity in the assay matched that for oTP-1 throughout oTP-1 purification. This assay is the first validated assay which may be used to quantitate production of oTP-1 in culture or content of oTP-1 in uterine flushings.