Role of P2X7 on steroid synthesis in murine luteal cells

Abstract

The extracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regulates different cellular functions through activating purinergic receptors as a signalling molecule or neurotransmitter. P2X7 is highly expressed in murine small luteal cells. In this study, murine luteal cells were cultured in vitro and treated with P2X7 agonists – ATP and 2′(3′)-O-(4-benzoyl-benzoyl)-adenosine 50-triphosphate (BzATP) and with P2X7 antagonist – brilliant blue G (BBG). We found that ATP and BzATP increased the production of progesterone and had no influence on the production of estradiol. BBG reversed the effect of BzATP and ATP. Further studies demonstrated that ATP and BzATP promoted the expression of CYP11A. These results revealed that P2X7 receptor activation is involved in the steroid synthesis in corpus luteum.

Keywords

• Luteal cell
• P2X7
• progesterone