title: Direct survival role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on rat ovarian follicular cells.
abstract: The aim of the present work was to analyze the direct effect of VEGF in follicular cell proliferation, apoptosis and activation of the PI3K/AKT and ERK/MEK signaling pathways in early antral follicles or granulosa cells. Antral follicles or granulosa cells were isolated from prepubertal female Sprague Dawley rats treated with DES.VEGF directly stimulates follicular cell proliferation and it also decreases apoptosis by inhibiting caspase 3 activation. In addition, VEGF increases the proliferation and inhibits the apoptosis of isolated granulosa cells in culture. VEGF activates the PI3K/AKT pathway evidenced by an increase in AKT phosphorylation levels and induces the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 in cultured antral follicles. These results demonstrate for the first time that VEGF has a proliferative and cytoprotective role in early antral follicles and in granulosa cells isolated from DES treated prepubertal rats and suggest that PI3K/AKT and ERK/MEK signaling pathways are involved in these processes.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Biología y Medicina Experimental (IByME) - CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Griselda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Irusta
authors.forename: Dalhia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abramovich
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Parborell
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tesone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006107:Granulosa Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D051058:Oncogene Protein v-akt / Q000378:metabolism; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; C467498:vascular endothelial growth factor A, rat; D051058:Oncogene Protein v-akt; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases