|
KMID : 0894520090130040329
|
|
Development & Reproduction
2009 Volume.13 No. 4 p.329 ~ p.339
|
|
|
Effects of Cortisol on the Steroidogenesis and the Apoptosis of Human Granulosa-Lutein Cells
|
|
Kim Jin-Hee
Yang Hyun-Won
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
|
Cortisol is present in high concentration in the ovary and its receptor is expressed in the ovarian cells. Moreover, cortisol is known to have a role in steroid synthesis and cell metabolism in human granulosa and lutein cells. However, little is known of the role of cortisol presenting in high concentration in the follicles after LH surge on the granulosa-lutein cells. Therefore, the this study we evaluated the apoptosis and the production of progesterone (P₄) and estradiol (E₂) in the granulosa-lutein cells that are obtained during oocyte-retrieval after treatment with 5, 50, and 500 ㎍/㎖ cortisol and 1 IU/㎖ FSH. Results of DNA fragment analysis and TUNEL assay demonstrated that DNA fragmentation and the rate of apoptotic cells were increased in a dose-dependent manner showing a significant increase in 50 and 500 ㎍/㎖ cortisol treated cells. We found, however, that FSH did not suppress the apoptosis of the cells induced by cortisol. In the results of chemiluminescence assay for P₄ and E₂, P₄ production was decreased by cortisol treatment, whereas E₂ was not changed. We also demonstrated that FSH did not inhibit the suppressive effect of GnRH on P₄ production as the result of apoptosis. The present study suggests that cortisol of high concentration could cause the apoptosis of human granulosa-lutein cells by suppressing the production of P₄. However, we need more studies to elucidate the mechanism by which cortisol induces apoptosis in human granulosa-lutein cells in view of the fact that our results are inconsistent with previous reported data.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
Apoptosis, Cortisol, Granulosa-lutein cell, Follicular development, FSH
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|