• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2002

Effects of nonylphenol (NP) on gonadal development and growth of olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus were investigated. NP treatment was carried out to fry fish (during 55 to 64 days after hatching) using oral adminstration at nominal NP concentrations of 50, 100 and 150 tig/g BW Gonad before NP treatment was sexually undifferentiated as observed with mostly gonia cells. At 159 days after hatching, ovarian lamella of ovary were filled with oogonia and perinucleolus oocytes. On the other hand, testicular lobules of the testis were occupied by spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatids. Histological observation of ovary and testis development was any different between the control and NP treated groups. However, growth was significantly increased in NP treated groups than control groups (P< 0.05). These results considerate that NP has any effect for sex differentiation and gonadal development, but act for early growth in olive flounder.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.100-107
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• 1998

Methanol extracts of five Berberidaceae species were examined against tissue factor inhibitory and tumour cell growth inhibitory activity. Methanol extracts of Berberis koreana Palibin showed a strong cytotoxicity activity against SK-MEL-2 (Melanoma) tumour cell lines with more than 90% in $25{\mu}g/m\ell$ and against A549 (Lung carcinoma), SK-OV-3 (Ovarian cancer), XF498 (CNS cancer) and HCTl5 (Colon cancer), other Berberidaceae species except B. koreana species have no effect on the tumour cells. Biologically active compound, therefore, was isolated through the activity guided fractionation and purification. The structure was confirmed by NMR. FT-IR and MS to 2-(3,4-dihydroxybenzyl)-ethyl alcohol. It showed cytotoxicity activity against SNU-C4 tumour cell lines with 50.7% in $50{\mu}g/m\ell$. Methanol extracts of 5 Berberidacae species have no effect on the tissue factor inhibitory activity.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.287-290
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• 2010

On January 6, 2010, two months earlier than normal breeding season, a red fox vixen was implanted with synthetic GnRH analogue, Deslorelin. Blood was sampled every 2~3 days from the day of implant to identifying spermatozoa on stains of epithelial cells. Estradiol and progesterone were examined. Even though the vixen was in non-breeding season, she was mated by a male fox. Pregnancy was confirmed by canine pregnancy detection kit that detect relaxin released from placenta. Four healthy pups were born on March 9, 2010. This is the first report showing synthetic GnRH can activate ovarian function and lead to fertile estrus of red fox in non-breeding season.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.179-187
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• 1998

In mammal, lots of follicles start simultaneously their growth but only a few oocytes are ovulated in every sexual cycles. Most of matured and grown oocytes are destined to degenerate by atresia. However, the molecular and physiological mechanisms are not elucidated yet. The present study was designed to establish an induction method of follicular atresia with ketamine or pentobarbitone and evaluate the effect of these anesthetics on oocyte maturation and granulosa cell apoptosis of the mouse ovarian follicle. The percentages of degenerated oocyte and apoptotic granulosa cell in ketamine treated groups were significantly higher than that in controls (58.9% vs 33.5%, p<0.01, degeneration; 44.9% vs 26.6%, p<0.01, apotosis). Futhermore, it was revealed that the concentrations of progesterone in both groups were markedly higher than that in control. In cunclusion, it is considered that ketamine induce an atresia as pentobarbitone, and may be useful for inducing follicular atresia.

• BMB Reports
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.338-345
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• 2013

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression by targeting the 3'-untranslated region of multiple target genes. Pathogenesis results from defects in several gene sets; therefore, disease progression could be prevented using miRNAs targeting multiple genes. Moreover, recent studies suggest that miRNAs reflect the stage of the specific disease, such as carcinogenesis. Cystic diseases, including polycystic kidney disease, polycystic liver disease, pancreatic cystic disease, and ovarian cystic disease, have common processes of cyst formation in the specific organ. Specifically, epithelial cells initiate abnormal cell proliferation and apoptosis as a result of alterations to key genes. Cysts are caused by fluid accumulation in the lumen. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying cyst formation and progression remain unclear. This review aims to introduce the key miRNAs related to cyst formation, and we suggest that miRNAs could be useful biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets in several cystic diseases.

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.56-56
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• 2002

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.394-402
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of chronic unpredictable stress on the reproductive function and ovarian luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) expression. 9-week-old C57BL/6 female mice were randomly divided into two groups: control group and stressed group. Mice have been stressed twice a day for 35 days with 12 different stressors which were randomly selected. The results demonstrate that there is significant increase in the anxiety-related behaviors (P < 0.05), decrease body weight gain rate (P < 0.01) and decrease in the average of litter size in stressed mice compared with control group (P < 0.01). Furthermore, the rate of primary, secondary and early antral follicles in stressed mice significantly decreased (P < 0.05), whereas that of atretic follicles significantly increased compared with control mice (P < 0.01). The immunohistochemical analysis revealed that reduced LHR expression in granulosa cells of follicle and luteal cells of corpus luteum in response to chronic unpredictable stress. The western blot analysis revealed significantly decrease in LHR expression in the stressed mice ovaries compared with the control (P < 0.05). These results suggest that ovarian LHR expression affected by chronic unpredictable stress and the modulated ovarian LHR is responsible for ovarian follicular maldevelopment and reproductive dysfunction.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.293-300
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• 1997

Supplementation of maturation medium with additional granulosa cells has beneficial effect on in vitro maturation of bovine follicular oocytes and their subsequent cleavage and development in vitro. However, maturation system using granulosa cells have some disadvantages that collection of granulosa cells is cumbersome and metabolic activity of the cells is variable according to ovarian cycle or follicular size. We hypothesized that bovine immsture oocytes matured without granulosa cell coculture can fertilize and develop normally if the medium volume per oocyte is reduced during in vitro maturation. Immature oocytes were matured for 24 hours in a TCM199 containing 10% fetal calf serum, anterior pitultary hormone (0.02 AU /ml Antrinⓡ) and estradiol with or without granulosa cells in vitro. In Group 1, 35 to 40 oocytes were matured in a well of 4-well plastic dish containing 500 $\mu$l of maturation medium and granulosa cells, and 9 to 10 oocytes were matured in a 50-$\mu$l drop of maturation medium without granulosa cells in Group 2. After maturation, oocytes were coincubated with sperm for 30 hours in a modified Tyrode's medium (IVF). Inseminated oocytes were cultured in a microdrop (30 $\mu$l) of a synthetic oviduct fluld medium (SOFM) containing BSA, Minimum Essential Medium essential and non-essential amino acids for 9 days. As a preliminary experiment, we investigated the beneficial effect of granulosa cells during maturation on subsequent cleavage and development using the same type of culturedishes (4-well dish). Granulosa cells could not increase embryo cleavage after fertilization but significantly improved (p<0.05) embryo development to expanding blastocyst (Table1 and 2). In Group 1, 68 and 80% of inseminated oocytes have cleaved at 30 hours and 2 days after IVF, respectively, which is similar (p>0.05) to the result of Group 2 (69% at 30 hours and 78% at 2 days after IVF). The oocytes in Group 2 showed 21 and 11% of developmental rates to expanding and hatching blastocysts, respectively, which was not significantly different (p>0.05) from those (20 and 10%, respectively) of oocytes in Group 1. In conclusion, it has been clarified that a microdrop culture system without granulosa cells for in vitro maturation can support bovine embryonic development to blastocyst in vitro as readily as a granulosa cell coculture system.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2006

Objective: Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide, has been suggested to play a role in ovarian folliculogenesis. The present study evaluated the effect of PACAP on the growth of preantral follicles. Methods: Preantral follicles were mechanically isolated from ovaries of 21-day-old rats and cultured in groups for 3 days in serum-free medium in the absence or presence of PACAP-38 ($10^{-6}M$). Results: Treatment with PACAP-38 resulted in an increase in follicle diameter by 75% whereas treatment with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increased follicle diameter by 65%. PACAP-38 treatment enhanced the granulosa cell proliferation as measured by thymidine incorporation analysis. Furthermore, the production of progesterone by cultured granulosa cells and GFSHR-17 cell line was stimulated by PACAP-38. Interestingly, PACAP enhanced FSH action on stimulation of SF-1 and aromatase gene expression. Conclusion: The present results demonstrate that PACAP stimulated preantral follicle growth by potentiating proliferation and by stimulating steroidogenesis.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.383-391
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• 1995

In order to find out the distribution of neuropeptide Y (NPY) recently known as the gonadotropin (GtH) stimulation neurohormone in the brain tissues of marine teleost, detection and localization of NPY like substance in brain of two rockfish species, Sebastes oblongus and S. schlekeli were done by immunohistochemisty. Distribution of GtH cells in hypophysis were also observed by aldehyde fuchsin (AF)-fast green-orange G stain to compare with gonadal phases of the rockfish species. NPY immunoreactive cells were detected in olfactory bulb, telencephalon and mesencephalon of the brain, and NPY immunoreactive fibers were distributed not only in olfactory bulb, telencephalon and mesencephalon but also in optic nerve, hypothalamus and optic tectum. Regardless of ovarian maturation in two rockfish species, NPY immunoreactive fibers were observed in the neurohypophysis adjacent to the AF negative cells in the rostral pars distalis of hypophysis in both species. Moreover, the fibers were distributed in the rostral and proximal pars distalis near to the GtH cells of the hypophysis in both species possessing the growing or mature oocytes. Slight AF stainable GtH cells were detected in hypophysis of two species before parturition (S. oblongus) and in mature stage (S. schlegeli), but AF stainability of the cells in the proximal pars distalis after parturition was more increased than that of the cells Tn mature stage or before parturition. The size and nucleus diameter of GtH cells in S. oblongus and S. schlegeli before parturition were significantly bigger than those of GtH cells in individuals after parturiton (S. oblongus) or with resting ovary (S. schlegeli) (P<0.01).