Triacylglycerols in the rat uterine epithelium during the oestrous cycle and early pregnancy.
Specific histochemical techniques showed triacylglycerols to be the predominant neutral lipid in intracellular lipid droplets of uterine epithelial cells. After their extraction from pure samples of uterine epithelial cells, triacylglycerols were in lower concentration (microgram/microgram DNA) during pro-oestrus (0.4) than at any other stage of the oestrus cycle (0.73-0.86), decreased during Days 3 (0.5), 4 (0.25) and 5 (0.24) of pregnancy, and were lower in ovariectomized females receiving oestradiol (0.18) than in those receiving medroxyprogesterone acetate (0.93). It is suggested that these triacylglycerols could be used by the blastocysts and their contiguous endometrium as a readily available energy and metabolite source during implantation.
D000818:Animals; D002369:Castration; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004848:Epithelium / Q000378:metabolism; D004958:Estradiol / Q000494:pharmacology; D004971:Estrus; D005260:Female; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal; D051381:Rats; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism*; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*
D014280:Triglycerides; D004958:Estradiol; D008525:Medroxyprogesterone