title: Regulation of the ovarian oxidative status by leptin during the ovulatory process in rats.
abstract: Leptin exerts both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on the ovulatory process. In this study, we investigated whether these opposite effects involve changes in the oxidative status in response to different levels of leptin. To this end, we performed both in vivo and in vitro assays using ovaries of immature rats primed with gonadotropins to induce ovulation. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity, lipid peroxidation, glutathione (GSH) content, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were studied as oxidative damage-related parameters. The expression of BCL2, BAX, and caspase 3 were measured by western blot as apoptosis-related biomarkers. The acute treatment with leptin, which inhibits ovulation, decreased SOD activity and increased active caspase 3 expression. No differences were found in CAT activity, lipid peroxidation, or total GSH. In contrast, the daily administration of leptin, which induces ovulation, decreased GSH content, ROS levels, and Bax and active caspase 3 expression, but caused no changes in other parameters. In addition, the daily administration of leptin induced follicular growth, measured by the number of antral follicles in ovarian sections. Using ovarian explant cultures, we found increased BCL2 expression and decreased SOD activity at low and high concentrations of leptin respectively. Thus, leptin can modulate the oxidative status of the ovarian tissue, during the ovulatory process, by acting on different targets according to its circulating levels. At low concentration, leptin seems to play a protective role against the oxidative stress, whereas at high concentrations, this protein seems to be involved in cell death.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Medicina Paraguay 2155, 16°P, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaInstituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Guillermina
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Bilbao
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Medicina Paraguay 2155, 16°P, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaInstituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Paula
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Di Yorio
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Medicina Paraguay 2155, 16°P, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaInstituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Rocío Alejandra
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Galarza
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Medicina Paraguay 2155, 16°P, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaInstituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Cecilia Laura
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Varone
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Farmacológicos y Botánicos (CEFYBO)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Medicina Paraguay 2155, 16°P, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaInstituto de Química Biológica de la Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (IQUIBICEN)Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)-Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina alifaletti@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alicia Graciela
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Faletti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D020738:Leptin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D010053:Ovary / Q000378:metabolism*; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D053148:Caspase 3; D005978:Glutathione