Reproduction Abstracts

Introduction: Previous reports in different species have shown that various endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can modulate ovarian steroidogenesis with the majority of studies focussing on granulosa cells. To test the hypothesis that exposure to EDCs might also perturb thecal steroidogenesis we conducted in vitro dose–response experiments to evaluate the direct effects of selected EDCs on androstenedione and progesterone production by cultured bovine theca ce...

Introduction: Kisspeptin, a neuropeptide secreted in the hypothalamus and encoded by the Kiss-1 gene, has a role in promoting the release of GnRH and LH in various species. However, the possibility that kisspeptin exerts additional ‘peripheral’ actions at the level of the bovine gonad has not been investigated. The current aims were to investigate whether: i) kiss-1 and its receptor (GPR54) are expressed in the bovine ovary; ii) kisspeptin or kisspeptin antagonist ca...

Introduction: Neuromedin B (NMB), a highly conserved bombesin-related decapeptide originally isolated from porcine spinal cord, has various physiological effects including the regulation of exocrine and endocrine secretions. The current aims were to investigate whether: (1) NMB is expressed in the bovine ovary (2) NMB or NMB antagonist can modulate ovarian steroidogenesis or proliferation by cultured bovine theca (TC) and granulosa (GC) cells.Methods: GC...