| Abstract: | In search of early pregnancy factors, we detected by radioimmunoassay the presence of enkephalin in bovine and human corpus luteum. In vitro met-enkephalin release by bovine corpus luteum is about 0.5 to 1 pmole/mg of fresh tissue/24 hrs. The content of the fresh tissue is between 0.7 and 1.9 pmoles per gram of human tissue, and 0.9 pmoles for bovine tissue. Furthermore, we determined the presence of leu-enkephalin and met-enkephalin Arg-Gly-Leu to. The ratios observed confirm a pro-enkephalin A expression in the ovary. Opiates or opioid-like peptides are present in the female genitalia at the time of early embryo development. The roles of these opioid peptides is discussed in term of ovum transport, granulosa cell physiology and early pregnancy factors. |
