Endometrial explant culture to study the response of equine endometrium to insemination.
Mating-induced endometritis (MIE) is ubiquitous in the horse after natural mating and artificial insemination with frozen/thawed semen causing the most aggressive response. The majority of mares eliminate MIE 24-48 h after insemination. An endometrial explant culture was tested as a potential in vitro exemplar for sperm-induced MIE. Endometrial prostaglandin F(2alpha) (PGF(2alpha)) secretion and expression of interleukin-8 (IL-8) were used as markers of inflammation. Endometrial explants were cultured from uteri collected from follicular phase mares. Explants were challenged with 1 or 10 x 10(6) sperm/ml frozen/thawed semen, chilled semen, washed sperm or seminal plasma. Medium was collected 24 and 72 h after challenge and assayed for PGF(2alpha) by radioimmunoassay. Treatment of endometrial explants with frozen/thawed, chilled semen or washed sperm did not change the secretion of PGF(2alpha) compared with untreated controls. However, 24 h after challenge cultured explants expressed IL-8. The in vitro endometrial explant system did not represent the in vivo response to semen when PGF(2alpha) was used as a marker of inflammation, yet the use of gene expression as an inflammatory marker warrants further investigation.
Nash
D M
DM
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies, The Royal Veterinary College, North Mymms, UK. dmn@aber.ac.uk
Sheldon
I M
IM
Herath
S
S
Lane
E A
EA
D000818:Animals; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004716:Endometritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006736:Horses; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012661:Semen / Q000502:physiology; D046509:Tissue Culture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary*
D003451:Cryoprotective Agents; D016209:Interleukin-8; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D015237:Dinoprost