info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Role of ghrelin in fertilization, early embryo development, and implantation periods
Fecha
2015-06Registro en:
Luque, Eugenia Mercedes; Torres, Pedro Javier; de Loredo, Nicolás; Vincenti, Laura María; Stutz, Graciela; et al.; Role of ghrelin in fertilization, early embryo development, and implantation periods; Bioscientifica; Reproduction; 148; 6-2015; 159-167
1470-1626
Autor
Luque, Eugenia Mercedes
Torres, Pedro Javier
de Loredo, Nicolás
Vincenti, Laura María
Stutz, Graciela
Santillán, María Emilia
Ruiz, Ruben Daniel
Fiol, Marta Haydee
Martini, Ana Carolina
Resumen
In order to clarify the physiological role of ghrelin in gestation, we evaluated the effects of administration of exogenous ghrelin (2 or 4 nmol/animal per day) or its antagonist (6 nmol/animal per day of (D-Lys3)GHRP6) on fertilization, early embryo development, and implantation periods in mice. Three experiments were performed, treating female mice with ghrelin or its antagonist: i) starting from 1 week before copulation to 12 h after copulation, mice were killed at day 18 of gestation; ii) since ovulation induction until 80 h later, when we retrieved the embryos from oviducts/uterus, and iii) starting from days 3 to 7 of gestation (peri-implantation), mice were killed at day 18. In experiments 1 and 3, the antagonist and/or the highest dose of ghrelin significantly increased the percentage of atrophied fetuses and that of females exhibiting this finding or a higher amount of corpora lutea compared with fetuses (nCL/nF) (experiment 3: higher nCL/nF-atrophied fetuses: ghrelin 4, 71.4–71.4% and antagonist, 75.0–62.5% vs ghrelin 2, 46.2K15.4% and control, 10–0.0%; nZ7–13 females/group; P!0.01). In experiment 2, the antagonist diminished the fertilization rate, and both, ghrelin and the antagonist, delayed embryo development (blastocysts: ghrelin 2, 62.5%; ghrelin 4, 50.6%; and antagonist, 61.0% vs control 78.4%; nZ82–102 embryos/treatment; P!0.0001). In experiment 3, additionally, ghrelin (4 nmol/day) and the antagonist significantly diminished the weight gain of fetuses and dams during pregnancy. Our results indicate that not only hyperghrelinemia but also the inhibition of the endogenous ghrelin effects exerts negative effects on the fertilization, implantation, and embryo/fetal development periods, supporting the hypothesis that ghrelin (in ‘adequate’ concentrations) has a physiological role in early gestational events.