title: Identification of relaxins in porcine follicular fluid and in the ovary of the immature sow.
abstract: Relaxin was measured by radioimmunoassay in follicular fluid from sows which were of different reproductive states. In non-pregnant animals, follicular fluid relaxin values ranged from 0.23 to 666 ng/ml. For pregnant animals the range was 172.6-32 707 ng/ml and for sows with polycystic ovaries this range was 5.0-2800 ng/ml. For polycystic ovaries only there was a correlation (r = 0.74) between the diameter of the follicle and relaxin concentration in the respective fluid. Gel filtration species of relaxin, of molecular weights 27500, 19000 and 6000. Relaxin was extracted from 1 kg of ovaries collected from prepubertal pigs and gel filtration studies indicated the presence of large molecular weight species in addition to a molecule of approximately 6000. These experiments suggest that the corpus luteum is not the sole source of relaxin in the pig.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001826:Body Fluids / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010048:Ovarian Cysts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000662:veterinary; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000378:metabolism*; D010053:Ovary / Q000032:analysis; D011247:Pregnancy; D012065:Relaxin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013552:Swine / Q000378:metabolism*; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D012065:Relaxin