Semina: Ciências Agrárias (Jul 2015)

The human follicle stimulating hormone (hFSH) keeps the normal ultrastructure of caprine preantral follicles cultured in vitro

  • Sanely Lourenço da Costa ,
  • Eduardo Paulino da Costa ,
  • Emílio César Martins Pereira ,
  • Laércio dos Anjos Benjamin ,
  • Isabel Bezerra Lima Verde ,
  • Juliana Jales de Hollanda Celestino ,
  • José Ricardo de Figueiredo

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n3Supl1p1965
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 36, no. 3Supl1
pp. 1965 – 1978

Abstract

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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of human follicle stimulating hormone (hFSH) on the in vitro culture of caprine preantral follicles. Fragments of goat ovarian cortex were cultured in ?-MEM+ supplemented with 0, 10, or 50 ng/mL hFSH for one or seven days. Small fragments of non-cultured and cultured ovarian tissue were processed for classic histology and transmission electron microscopy. The statistical tests used in this study were Lilliefors, Cochran, and Tukey’s (when significance was detected, PROC ANOVA, SAS was used). The results revealed a reduction in the percentage of normal follicles after one or seven days of culture under all treatment conditions. The rates of follicular survival were similar to each other, within each day of culture. The medium containing 10 ng/mL hFSH reduced the percentage of primordial follicles following culture for one and seven days and did not increase the percentage of developing follicles. The follicular diameter of ovarian tissue cultured in ?-MEM+ medium and medium supplemented with 10 ng/mL of hFSH did not change when compared with the control (non-cultured). The ultrastructural analysis confirmed the integrity of follicles cultured for seven days in medium containing 10 ng/mL hFSH. In conclusion, hFSH (10 ng/mL) is capable of promoting the activation of primordial follicles and maintaining the ultrastructural integrity of caprine preantral follicles cultured in vitro for seven days.

Keywords