Effect of growth hormone on steroid content,proliferation and apoptosis in the chicken ovary during sexual maturation |
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Authors: | Anna Hrabia Andrzej Sechman Arieh Gertler Janusz Rz?sa |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Animal Physiology and Endocrinology, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 24/28, 30–059 Krakow, Poland;(2) Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel |
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Abstract: | The present study was undertaken to examine in vivo the effect of growth hormone (GH) on progesterone and estradiol levels
and on cell proliferation and apoptosis in the chicken ovary during sexual maturation. Hy-Line chickens (10 weeks old) were
injected three times a week with 200 μg recombinant chicken GH (cGH) per kilogram body weight until sexual maturity. GH treatment
significantly increased ovarian weight at 16 weeks of age, i.e., ∼1 week before onset of egg laying. The progesterone content
in the ovary just before and at the time of sexual maturity and the estradiol content before onset of egg laying were also
elevated after cGH injections. The highest number of proliferating (positive for proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and apoptotic
(positive for terminal-deoxynucleotidyl-transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling) cells was found in the ovarian stroma
and white follicles (>1-4 mm diameter), whereas the lowest number of these cells was detected in yellow (>8-30 mm) follicles.
Administration of cGH significantly stimulated cell proliferation and inhibited cell apoptosis in the ovarian stroma and small
ovarian follicles. The number of ovarian follicles and the weight of the ovary prior to the first oviposition were also higher
in cGH-injected hens. Thus, prior to and after the onset of egg laying, GH participates in the growth, maturation and hormonal
activity of ovarian follicles in the chicken, via the regulation of steroidogenesis, proliferation and apoptosis processes. |
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