title: Rat ovary produces cytokines during ovulation.
abstract: To examine the production of cytokines by the ovary during ovulation, ovaries were obtained from immature rats and from eCG/hCG-primed immature rats at different stages of the ovulatory process (before hCG injection, 10 h after hCG, and 20 h after hCG) and were perfused in vitro for 5 h. Large quantities of interleukin (IL)-6 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) bioactivity and smaller amounts of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) and IL-1 bioactivity were found in the perfusate. IL-2 and IL-3 were not detectable in the perfusion media. The GM-CSF content was significantly higher in the perfusate of ovulating ovaries (obtained 10 h after hCG) compared to the earlier stages. Studies on preovulatory ovaries (prior to hCG injection) revealed that GM-CSF release was not influenced by LH, but was markedly increased when recombinant human IL-1 beta (4 ng/ml) was added to the perfusion medium. IL-6 was released in similar amounts from ovaries at all stages. The identity of bioactive GM-CSF was confirmed by neutralization with a specific polyclonal antibody against murine GM-CSF. Size-exclusion chromatography of perfusion medium revealed peaks of GM-CSF and IL-6 bioactivity at approximate molecular masses of 21-23 kDa and 24-25 kDa, respectively. This study demonstrates that the rat ovary produces IL-6, GM-CSF, TNF alpha, and IL-1 prior to and during the ovulatory process and that there are temporal fluctuations in GM-CSF release with a peak in output at ovulation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Adelaide, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Woodville, Australia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brännström
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Seamark
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Robertson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000494:pharmacology; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000494:pharmacology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism*; D010060:Ovulation / Q000502:physiology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor