Reproduction & Fertility最新文献

{"title":"Rapid ovarian transcript changes during the onset of premature ovarian insufficiency.","authors":"Heidy Kaune, Juan F Montiel, Mark Fenwick, Suzannah Alice Williams","doi":"10.1530/RAF-22-0036","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-22-0036","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The manuscript has been submitted without altering abstract in line with Reproduction's Flexible Submission Process. The abstract is extended and thus does not fit this space.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9513667/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9187908","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the antimicrobial properties of vaginal <i>Lactobacillus crispatus</i> against preterm birth-associated bacteria.","authors":"Emmanuel Amabebe,&nbsp;Noopur Bhatnagar,&nbsp;Nitin Kamble,&nbsp;Steven Reynolds,&nbsp;Dilly O Anumba","doi":"10.1530/RAF-22-0026","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-22-0026","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The need to develop new treatments to prevent unprompted premature delivery before 37 weeks of pregnancy remains pressing and unmet. Bacteria (<i>Lactobacillus</i> species) that promote vaginal health produce biochemical compounds that prevent the growth of microbes such as <i>Gardnerella vaginalis</i>. Overgrowth of <i>G. vaginalis</i> can cause vaginal infection with smelly discharge and increase a woman's risk of sexually transmitted infections and premature delivery. In this study, we examined how normal health-promoting (<i>L. crispatus</i>) and potentially harmful (<i>G. vaginalis</i>) vaginal bacteria interact in a laboratory setting. This was in order to observe natural and effective agent(s) from <i>L. crispatus</i> that can hinder the growth of <i>G. vaginalis</i> and accompanying immune response. We observed that <i>L. crispatus</i> clears <i>G. vaginalis</i> by itself and with several biochemical compounds that it produces. Such biochemical compounds can be developed into treatment for vaginal infections and premature delivery due to infection and inappropriate immune response.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"L6-L8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/45/93/RAF-22-0026.PMC9346311.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40671325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chromosomal polymorphisms in assisted reproduction: an analysis of 942 cycles.","authors":"Madara S B Ralapanawe,&nbsp;Sugandika Lakmali Gajaweera,&nbsp;Nishendra Karunaratne,&nbsp;Malcolm James Price,&nbsp;Pedro Melo,&nbsp;Arri Coomarasamy,&nbsp;Ioannis Gallos","doi":"10.1530/RAF-21-0116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1530/RAF-21-0116","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) has recently increased worldwide. The live birth rate per ICSI cycle is low, and over half of infertile couples remain childless. Chromosomal polymorphisms are up to five times more common in couples with infertility compared to the general population. We aimed to investigate the association between chromosomal polymorphisms and reproductive outcomes in couples undergoing ICSI treatment. We analysed 942 ICSI fresh and frozen embryo transfer cycles in 697 women who underwent karyotyping analysis using Giemsa-Trypsin-Leishman banding prior to assisted conception at the Fertility Centre of Lanka Hospitals, Sri Lanka, between 2016 and 2018. The primary outcomes were pregnancy, miscarriage, and live birth rates. We compared outcomes according to the presence or absence of chromosomal polymorphism in females, males and couples. There were 294 pregnancies (31.2%) recorded in the study; 130 suffered a miscarriage (13.8%), 13 were ectopic pregnancies (1.3%) and 151 resulted in a live birth (16.0%). The evidence from univariable and multivariable analyses (adjusted for age, BMI, ovarian reserve and treatment type) did not confidently identify a difference in pregnancy, miscarriage or live birth rates between couples with no chromosomal polymorphisms compared to couples where the female, male or both partners were carriers of a chromosomal polymorphism. Further, we did not identify a clear association between the presence of chromosomal polymorphisms and reproductive outcomes compared to participants without chromosomal polymorphisms. Wide CIs precluded the identification of clinically meaningful associations.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Infertility affects approximately one in eight couples worldwide. The use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where the sperm is directly injected into an egg using a micromanipulator outside the body, has become particularly popular in recent years. However, the success rate remains low. In human cells, the genetic material is arranged in structures called chromosomes. Chromosomal polymorphism is a normal variation where the genetic material is arranged differently to the average individual and is more common in infertile couples compared to the general population. We analysed data from 942 ICSI cycles in 697 couples who underwent karyotyping analysis to assess the changes in chromosomes between 2016 and 2018. The pregnancy rate was 31.2%, with 16.0% of participants experiencing a live birth, while 13.8% of pregnancies resulted in a miscarriage and 1.3% were outside the womb cavity (ectopic). The evidence did not identify a clear association between the chromosomal polymorphism and the outcome of treatment.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"133-139"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/5b/8e/RAF-21-0116.PMC9346325.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40672261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Potential ovarian toxicity and infertility risk following targeted anti-cancer therapies.","authors":"Roseanne Rosario, Wanyuan Cui, Richard A Anderson","doi":"10.1530/RAF-22-0020","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-22-0020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Unlike traditional chemotherapy agents which are generally cytotoxic to all cells, targeted anti-cancer therapies are designed to specifically target proliferation mechanisms in cancer cells but spare normal cells, resulting in high potency and reduced toxicity. There has therefore been a rapid increase in their development and use in clinical settings, including in curative-intent treatment regimens. However, the targets of some of these drugs including kinases, epigenetic regulatory proteins, DNA damage repair enzymes and proteasomes, have fundamental roles in governing normal ovarian physiology. Inhibiting their action could have significant consequences for ovarian function, with potentially long-lasting adverse effects which persist after cessation of treatment, but there is limited evidence of their effects on reproductive function. In this review, we will use literature that examines these pathways to infer the potential toxicity of targeted anti-cancer drugs on the ovary.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Compared to traditional chemotherapy agents, anti-cancer therapies are thought to be highly effective at targeting cancer cells but sparing normal cells, resulting in reduced drug side effects. However, many of processes within the cells that these drugs affect are also important for the ovary to work normally, so suppressing them in this way could have long-lasting implications for female fertility. This review examines the potential toxicity of anti-cancer therapies on the ovary.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":"3 3","pages":"R147-R162"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/7c/e6/RAF-22-0020.PMC9346327.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10852721","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resurrecting biodiversity: advanced assisted reproductive technologies and biobanking.","authors":"Rhiannon L Bolton, Andrew Mooney, Matt T Pettit, Anthony E Bolton, Lucy Morgan, Gabby J Drake, Ruth Appeltant, Susan L Walker, James D Gillis, Christina Hvilsom","doi":"10.1530/RAF-22-0005","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-22-0005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biodiversity is defined as the presence of a variety of living organisms on the Earth that is essential for human survival. However, anthropogenic activities are causing the sixth mass extinction, threatening even our own species. For many animals, dwindling numbers are becoming fragmented populations with low genetic diversity, threatening long-term species viability. With extinction rates 1000-10,000 times greater than natural, <i>ex situ</i> and <i>in situ</i> conservation programmes need additional support to save species. The indefinite storage of cryopreserved (-196°C) viable cells and tissues (cryobanking), followed by assisted or advanced assisted reproductive technology (ART: utilisation of oocytes and spermatozoa to generate offspring; aART: utilisation of somatic cell genetic material to generate offspring), may be the only hope for species' long-term survival. As such, cryobanking should be considered a necessity for all future conservation strategies. Following cryopreservation, ART/aART can be used to reinstate lost genetics back into a population, resurrecting biodiversity. However, for this to be successful, species-specific protocol optimisation and increased knowledge of basic biology for many taxa are required. Current ART/aART is primarily focused on mammalian taxa; however, this needs to be extended to all, including to some of the most endangered species: amphibians. Gamete, reproductive tissue and somatic cell cryobanking can fill the gap between losing genetic diversity today and future technological developments. This review explores species prioritisation for cryobanking and the successes and challenges of cryopreservation and multiple ARTs/aARTs. We here discuss the value of cryobanking before more species are lost and the potential of advanced reproductive technologies not only to halt but also to reverse biodiversity loss.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>The world is undergoing its sixth mass extinction; however, unlike previous events, the latest is caused by human activities and is resulting in the largest loss of biodiversity (all living things on Earth) for 65 million years. With an extinction rate 1000-10,000-fold greater than natural, this catastrophic decline in biodiversity is threatening our own survival. As the number of individuals within a species declines, genetic diversity reduces, threatening their long-term existence. In this review, the authors summarise approaches to indefinitely preserve living cells and tissues at low temperatures (cryobanking) and the technologies required to resurrect biodiversity. In the future when appropriate techniques become available, these living samples can be thawed and used to reinstate genetic diversity and produce live young ones of endangered species, enabling their long-term survival. The successes and challenges of genome resource cryopreservation are discussed to enable a move towards a future of stable biodiversity.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"R121-R146"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/a8/af/RAF-22-0005.PMC9346332.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40672260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The novel use of urinary androgens to optimise detection of the fertile window in giant pandas.","authors":"Kirsten S Wilson, Desheng Li, Iain Valentine, Alan McNeilly, Simon Girling, Rengui Li, Yingmin Zhou, Lynn Vanhaecke, W Colin Duncan, Jella Wauters","doi":"10.1530/RAF-22-0031","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-22-0031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Giant pandas are mono-estrus seasonal breeders, with the breeding season typically occurring in the spring. Successful fertilization is followed by an embryonic diapause, of variable length, with birth in the late summer/autumn. There is a need for additional understanding of giant panda reproductive physiology, and the development of enhanced biomarkers for impending proestrus and peak fertility. We aimed to determine the utility of non-invasive androgen measurements in the detection of both proestrus and estrus. Urine from 20 cycles (-40 days to +10 days from peak estrus) from 5 female giant pandas was analyzed for estrogen, progestogens and androgens (via testosterone and DHEA assays), and hormone concentrations were corrected against urinary specific gravity. Across proestrus, estrogens increased while progestogens and androgens decreased - at the point of entry into proestrus, androgens (as detected by the testosterone assay) decreased prior to progestogens and gave 4 days advanced warning of proestrus. At the time of peak estrus, androgens (as detected by the DHEA assay) were significantly increased at the time of the decrease in estrogen metabolites from the peak, acting as an alternative confirmatory indicator of the fertile window. This novel finding allows for enlargement of the preparative window for captive breeding and facilitates panda management within breeding programmes. Androgens allow an enhanced monitoring of giant panda estrus, not only advancing the warning of impending proestrus, but also prospectively identifying peak fertility.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Giant pandas have one chance at pregnancy per year. The 2-day fertile window timing varies by year and panda. This is monitored by measuring the level of estrogens in the urine, which increase, indicating an upcoming fertile period. After 1-2 weeks of increase, estrogens peak and fall, marking the optimal fertile time. We tested other hormones to see if we can predict the fertile window in advance, and the specific fertile time with more accuracy. In 20 breeding seasons from 5 females, we found androgens, usually thought of as male hormones, had an important role. Testosterone gives 4 days advanced warning of estrogens increasing. DHEA identified peak estrogen and the fertile time before needing to see a confirmed decrease in estrogen itself. Therefore, androgens help improve monitoring of the giant panda breeding season, giving early warning of fertility, key in facilitating captive breeding and giant panda conservation.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"122-132"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9354564/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40708544","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Lessons from implementing the Australian National Action Plan for Endometriosis.","authors":"Mike Armour,&nbsp;Jodie Avery,&nbsp;Mathew Leonardi,&nbsp;Leesa Van Niekerk,&nbsp;Marilla L Druitt,&nbsp;Melissa A Parker,&nbsp;Jane E Girling,&nbsp;Brett McKinnon,&nbsp;Antonina Mikocka-Walus,&nbsp;Cecilia H M Ng,&nbsp;Rebecca O'Hara,&nbsp;Donna Ciccia,&nbsp;Katherine Stanley,&nbsp;Subhadra Evans","doi":"10.1530/RAF-22-0003","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-22-0003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Abstract: </strong>Endometriosis is a common yet under-recognised chronic disease with one in nine (more than 830,000) women and those assigned female at birth diagnosed with endometriosis by the age of 44 years in Australia. In 2018, Australia was the first country to develop a roadmap and blueprint to tackle endometriosis in a nationwide, coordinated manner. This blueprint is outlined in the National Action Plan for Endometriosis (NAPE), created from a partnership between government, endometriosis experts and advocacy groups. The NAPE aims to improve patient outcomes in the areas of awareness and education, clinical management and care and research. As researchers and clinicians are working to improve the lives of those with endometriosis, we discuss our experiences since the launch of the plan to highlight areas of consideration by other countries when developing research priorities and clinical plans. Historically, major barriers for those with endometriosis have been twofold; first, obtaining a diagnosis and secondly, effective symptom management post-diagnosis. In recent years, there have been calls to move away from the historically accepted 'gold-standard' surgical diagnosis and single-provider specialist care. As there are currently no reliable biomarkers for endometriosis diagnosis, specialist endometriosis scans and MRI incorporating artificial intelligence offer a novel method of visualisation and promising affordable non-invasive diagnostic tool incorporating well-established technologies. The recognised challenges of ongoing pain and symptom management, a holistic interdisciplinary care approach and access to a chronic disease management plan, could lead to improved patient outcomes while reducing healthcare costs.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Endometriosis is a chronic disease where tissue like the lining of the uterus is found in other locations around the body. For the 830,000 people living with endometriosis in Australia, this often results in an immense burden on all aspects of daily life. In 2018, Australia was the first country to introduce a roadmap and blueprint to tackle endometriosis in a nationwide coordinated manner with the National Action Plan for Endometriosis. This plan was created as a partnership between government, endometriosis experts and advocacy groups. There are several other countries who are now considering similar plans to address the burden of endometriosis. As researchers and clinicians are working to improve the lives of those with endometriosis, we share our experiences and discuss areas that should be considered when developing these national plans, including diagnostic pathways without the need for surgery, and building new centres of expertise in Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"C29-C39"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/de/26/RAF-22-0003.PMC9346321.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40672259","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"'Seeing is believing': arguing for diagnostic laparoscopy as a diagnostic test for endometriosis.","authors":"Jason Mak,&nbsp;Mathew Leonardi,&nbsp;George Condous","doi":"10.1530/RAF-21-0117","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-21-0117","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Endometriosis is a benign disease that can cause pain and infertility in women. Debate exists over how endometriosis should best be diagnosed. On one hand, endometriosis can be diagnosed by directly examining pelvic anatomy via a surgical procedure known as diagnostic laparoscopy. On the other hand, the disease can be diagnosed via non-surgical means such as using medical imaging, the symptoms described by the patient and whether the patient responds to non-surgical therapies such as medication. In this debate article, we argue in favour of diagnostic laparoscopy. We review the safety of the procedure, compare the ability of diagnostic laparoscopy vs medical imaging to detect endometriosis and consider the benefits of formally diagnosing or ruling out the condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"C23-C28"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9254269/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40476592","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mechanisms of group B <i>Streptococcus</i>-mediated preterm birth: lessons learnt from animal models.","authors":"Noble K Kurian,&nbsp;Deepak Modi","doi":"10.1530/RAF-21-0105","DOIUrl":"10.1530/RAF-21-0105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Group B <i>Streptococcus</i> (GBS) is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium which upon colonization in the female reproductive tract can cause preterm births, fetal injury, and demise. Several determinants for GBS pathogenesis have been explored so far through the studies using animal models ranging from mice to non-human primates. The results from these experimental data have identified outer membrane vesicles, β-hemolysin, hyaluronidase, and Cas9 of GBS as major virulence factors leading to preterm births. Most of these factors drive inflammation through activation of NLRP3 and elevated production of IL1-β. However, the absence of one of the factors from the pathogen reduces but does not completely abolish the pathogenesis of GBS suggesting the involvement of more than one factor in causing preterm birth. This makes further exploration of other virulence factors of GBS pathogenesis important in gaining an insight into the mechanistic basis of GBS-mediated preterm births.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Group B <i>Streptococcus</i> (GBS) is a pathogenic bacteria whose infection in the reproductive tract during pregnancy can cause premature delivery. This bacterial infection is one of the major causes of death of mother and baby during pregnancy, and the bacteria is prevalent in all parts of the world. This makes the research on GBS so important and many of the mechanisms behind GBS infection during pregnancy still remain unexplored. In this review, we have outlined how various animal models contributed in finding the mechanism of GBS pathogenesis. The review also focuses on compiling various virulence factors which makes GBS pathogenic in the vulnerable. Understanding the mechanisms of infection by GBS will be crucial in developing drugs and vaccines to protect against the harmful effects of the bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"R109-R120"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9254271/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40476591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ad libitum feeding alters mRNA abundance in the ovarian cortex of broiler breeder hens.","authors":"Kate Anthony,&nbsp;Tyler Bruce Garner,&nbsp;Ramesh Ramachandran,&nbsp;Francisco Javier Diaz","doi":"10.1530/RAF-21-0098","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1530/RAF-21-0098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Ad libitum: </strong>feeding in broiler breeder (BB) hens causes reduced egg production, lower fertility, and improper eggshell deposition. Restricted feeding (RF) is the only effective intervention available to normalize ovarian function and improve reproductive efficiency. This study aimed to assess the transcriptional changes in ovarian cortex of BB hens with free access to feed compared to those on a RF diet. RNA was isolated from the ovarian cortex of Cobb 500 pullets raised to 10 and 16 weeks of age on either a full-feeding (FF) or RF diet. Microarray analysis identified 386 differentially expressed genes between the two feeding groups at 16 weeks of age. Gene ontology enrichment identified overrepresentation of Neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathways, Cell adhesion molecules, Steroid hormone biosynthesis, and various KEGG pathways. From these groups, 46 genes were selected for follow-up validation by quantitative PCR. The findings show that 33 of the 46 genes had significantly different abundance by age and/or feeding level. Most of these genes were repressed in RF hens and belonged to the steroid biosynthesis and neuropeptide signaling groups. The VIPR2 receptor was higher in the FF group leading us to hypothesize that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is an important regulator of small cortical follicles. Culture of hen cortical follicles with VIP increased <i>Star</i>, an indication of increased steroidogenic activity, although did not elevate <i>Cyp11a1</i>. These results offer insights and suggest the possible mechanisms and pathways responsible for the increases in cortical follicle growth associated with excess feed intake in BB hens.</p><p><strong>Lay summary: </strong>Giving breeder hens unrestricted access to feed can lead to problems with their ovaries, including excessive growth of the ovary and reduced fertility. Giving a limited amount of feed is the only effective way to reduce this growth of the ovaries and improve fertility. This study aimed to assess the changes in the molecules that make proteins in the body in hens fed unrestricted and restricted diets. In the hens fed a limited amount of feed, there were more of one type of molecules, while there were more of another type in the ovaries of hens with unrestricted access to feed. These results show that how much a hen eats can alter the number of these molecules in the ovary and this could help us understand why their ovaries grow excessively and why their eggs are less fertile.</p>","PeriodicalId":21128,"journal":{"name":"Reproduction & Fertility","volume":" ","pages":"110-121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pub/pmc/oa_pdf/21/25/RAF-21-0098.PMC9259893.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40605793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}