Endocrine Abstracts

Background: Polyphenols are proposed as protective factors against the occurrence of degenerative diseases affecting several systems, such as cardiovascular and neurocognitive ones. The beneficial effect of polyphenol-enriched diets is assumed to be multifactorial, including direct antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as the polyphenol-related capability to modulate lipid metabolism and gut microbiota function. However, the prediction of polyphenols’ impa...

Introduction: Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is a sphingolipid mediating proliferative signals in human ovarian follicles, acting through five receptors (S1PR1-5). We characterized the effects of S1PR1 and S1PR3 in vitro, as those mostly expressed in human primary granulosa cells (hGLC) and immortalized, tumor-like granulosa cell line (hGL5).Methods: The S1P-mediated signaling, as well as the activity of S1PR1- and S1PR3-specific agonists (SEW281...

Luteinizing hormone (LH) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) are two glycoprotein hormones regulating development and reproduction. Despite binding the same receptor (LHCGR), they elicit different intracellular signaling. In vitro non-equivalence of hCG and LH was previously demonstrated in human primary granulosa cells. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of LH and hCG in mouse primary Leydig cells in vitro, naturally expressing the murine rec...

During the menstrual cycle, selection of the dominant follicle is characterized by changes of gonadotropin and steroid hormone receptor expression. We aim to evaluate whether co-existing follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (GPER) form heterodimers, suggesting their role in ovarian follicle selection. FSHR-GPER dimerization was evaluated in transfected HEK293 cells in vitro by bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (B...

Sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P) is a lysosphingolipid present in the ovarian follicular fluid at the nanomolar concentration. The physiological functions of S1P are mediated through five specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), known as S1PR1-5. S1PR1 and S1PR3 are expressed in human primary granulosa lutein cells (hGLC), as well as in the immortalized human primary granulosa cell line hGL5. S1PRs are activated at nanomolar concentrations inducing specific activation or inh...

Mechanisms regulating the selection of antral ovarian follicles are poorly understood and supposed to rely on low estrogen levels, decline of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels and receptor (FSHR) expression on the surface of granulosa cells. These concepts are challenged in-vitro, where apoptosis of human granulosa cells (hGLC) and transfected cell lines is induced by high doses of FSH or FSHR overexpression, while estrogens induce anti-apoptotic signals via n...