title: Lipopolysaccharide alters the vaginal electrical resistance in cycling and pregnant mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) has been postulated to exert harmful biologic effects during pregnancy. The objective of present investigation is to measure the vaginal electrical resistance (VER) in LPS-treated normal cycling and pregnant female mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Minimum dose (MD) of LPS (250 microg/kg body weight) was injected in pregnant female mice through i.p. route on day 0.5 of pregnancy. VER was measured during different phases of reproductive cycle in female mice, which were pre-exposed to LPS and in untreated cycling female mice. VER was also measured in control pregnant female mice (saline-treated mice) through whole pregnancy and LPS-treated female mice in early stages of pregnancy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vaginal electrical resistance was significantly higher during proestrous or early estrous stage as compared with any other stages of reproductive cycle in mouse. One peak of VER was observed during peri-implantation period of pregnancy in control female mice. The significant differences in the pattern of VER were found between LPS-treated and control female mice during peri-implantation period of pregnancy, and between cycling female mice, which were pre-exposed to LPS and untreated cycling female mice during proestrus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The presented results demonstrate, for the first time, that LPS exposure during pregnancy may be determined by measuring VER in mothers without any adverse effect on ongoing pregnancy and may help in refining the assisted reproduction techniques.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biology and Reproductive Immunology Laboratory, School of Studies in Biochemistry, Jiwaji University, Gwalior, India.
authors.forename: Varkha
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: Mukesh K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
authors.forename: Madan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Chaturvedi
authors.forename: Dinesh C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Tiwari
authors.forename: Yogesh K
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Jaiswal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017097:Electric Impedance; D030762:Estrous Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D014621:Vagina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides