FIRST EVIDENCE OF ALLOPREGNANOLONE DOSE-DEPENDENT EFFECTS ON PREANTRAL BOVINE FOLLICLES

CARDONE, DANIELA ALEJANDRA; CÁCERES, ANTONELLA ROSARIO RAMONA; SANHUEZA, MARÍA DE LOS ÁNGELES; BRUNA, F.A.; CUELLO-CARRIÓN, F.D.; GOMEZ, S. E.; LACONI, MYRIAM RAQUEL

San juan

Congreso; XLI Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de biología de Cuyo; 2023

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Allopregnanolone (ALLO) is a neurosteroid derived from progesterone. ALLO affects ovarian physiology and reproductive behavior but the study of its effects on bovine preantral follicles is limited. Ovaries from one year old heifers (n=8) were collected from a local abattoir within30 min after the death of the animals. Ovarian cortex fragments (5 x 5 x 1 mm) were isolated with a biopsy punch and cultured for 24 hours at 37°C with different ALLO concentrations (10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 nM) in TCM-199 culture medium. ALLO induced significant morphophysiological changes in preantral follicles. At a 1000 nM dose, there was a decrease in the number of primordial, primary (p < 0.01), and secondary follicles (p < 0.05). A significant increase in the diameter of primary follicles was observed at 50 nM and 100 nM (p < 0.01). ALLO 100 nM (p < 0.05) and 1000 nM (p < 0.01) significantly increased oocyte diameter in primordial and primary follicles. However, smaller oocyte nuclei of primordial follicles were found at 500 nM (p < 0.01). There was a significant decrease in the number of granulosa cells in primordial follicles at 10 nM and 100 nM (p < 0.001), and an increase in primary follicles at 10 nM (p < 0.001) and 1000 nM (p< 0.05). Thisis the first evidence of the effect of ALLO on bovine preantral follicles. ALLO exerts dose-dependent effects on morphometric parameters of preantral follicles, suggesting an important role in bovine reproductive physiology.