Endocrine Abstracts

Little is known about the factors affecting preantral follicle growth but we have recently shown that IGF-I stimulates growth of follicles in human cortical tissue in culture (Stubbs et al, Endocrine Abstracts 2003, 6, OC7). The aim of this study was to extend the study of the effects of IGF-I on follicle recruitment and test the specificity of action by examining the ability of the type 1 IGF receptor antibody, alpha-IR3, to inhibit IGF action. Small ovarian cortical biopsies...

Little is known about the factors affecting preantral follicle growth but we have recently shown that IGF-I stimulates growth of follicles in human cortical tissue in culture (Stubbs et al, Endocrine Abstracts 2003, 6, OC7). The aim of this study was to extend the study of the effects of IGF-I on follicle recruitment and test the specificity of action by examining the ability of the type 1 IGF receptor antibody, alpha-IR3, to inhibit IGF action. Small ovarian cortical biopsies...

Little is know about the effects of IGFs on the early preantral stages of follicle development. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of IGF-I on recruitment and survival of human preantral follicles in vitro. Small ovarian cortical biopsies were obtained at laparoscopy, with informed consent and local ethical committee approval, from 27 premenopausal women. The tissue was divided and randomly allocated to 5 conditions. The first piece was fixed immediately as a...

The factors affecting the regulation of early follicular development are not fully understood. Culture of ovarian cortical biopsies provides a means for investigating initiation of follicle growth. IGF-I has been implicated in the early development of follicles in the primate ovary and the aim of this study was to investigate the effects on IGF-I on recruitment, growth and survival of human preantral follicles. Small ovarian cortical biopsies were obtained, with informed conse...

An increased number of medium-sized antral follicles is one of the characteristic features of polycystic ovaries (PCO) but little is known of the preantral stages of follicle development. The aim of this work was to explore small preantral follicle development in ovulatory and anovulatory PCO and to compare it with that in normal ovaries. Small ovarian cortical biopsies were obtained with informed consent and local ethics committee approval from 27 women with PCO, 13 anovulato...

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder, affecting 5–10% of women of reproductive age. The underlying pathogenesis is complex and incompletely understood. There is evidence that gonadotropin and gonadotropin receptor action play a role in the pathogenesis of PCOS with genome wide association studies in PCOS also implicating altered gonadotropin action in the aetiology of PCOS. Furthermore, our recent studies have demonstrated that gonad...

The luteinising hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) plays an essential role in ovarian follicular function, mediating the action of LH on theca cell steroidogenesis and, in the preovulatory follicle, on granulosa cell (GC) steroid production and the ovulatory cascade. Following ovulation, LH (and CG) are responsible for maintenance and function of the corpus luteum. Arrested antral follicle development in PCOS is characterised by premature responsiveness of GCs to ...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a multifactorial, complex endocrine disorder affecting a significant proportion of the global population. Aberrant secretion and/or action of gonadotropins is implicated in PCOS, but, to date, we have only limited knowledge about the precise mechanisms involved. We therefore studied LHR expression, signalling and trafficking in GLCs from women with and without PCOS. GLCs from women with PCOS exhibited enhanced Gαs-cAMP signalling respon...

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) present sex specific characteristics, suggesting sex-hormones playing a role in the pathophysiology of CVDs. Hyperandrogenemia (HA) is a common condition in fertile age women but whether HA is a risk factor for CVD is still controversial.Aims: To clarify the association of HA with the development of hypertension and CVDs in women.Study population and methods: A general population-based birt...

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrinopathy that is associated with anovulatory infertility, menstrual disturbances and an adverse metabolic profile. Although the pathophysiology of PCOS remains unclear, dysregulation of gene expression has been previously shown in theca and granulosa cells. In this study, we used RNA-Sequencing to compare the transcriptomes of human granulosa cells from women with and without PCOS. Granulosa cells were retri...