title: Effect of Prenatal and Neonatal Anti-Androgen Flutamide Treatment on Aquaporin 5 Expression in the Adult Porcine Ovary.
abstract: The growth of ovarian follicles is accompanied by fluid-filled antrum formation. Water movement within the follicular wall is predominantly transcellular via membranous water channels named aquaporins (AQPs). Androgens are important regulators of mammalian folliculogenesis, and their prenatal and/or neonatal deficiency affects female fertility in adulthood. Therefore, this study was performed to determine whether gestational or neonatal exposure to the anti-androgen flutamide influences androgen-dependent AQP5 expression in pre-antral and large antral follicles of adult pigs. Flutamide was injected into pregnant gilts between days 80 and 88 of gestation and into female piglets between days 2 and 10 post-natally. The ovaries were collected from flutamide-treated and non-treated (control) sexually mature pigs. In pre-antral follicles, AQP5 mRNA and protein levels were both downregulated following maternal (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively) and neonatal (p < 0.01 and p < 0.01, respectively) flutamide exposure. Likewise, the expression of mRNA (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively) and protein (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) for AQP5 were diminished in large antral follicles in both groups. Immunohistochemistry showed decreased intensity of AQP5 immunoreaction in pre-antral (p < 0.01) and large antral (p < 0.001) follicles following flutamide treatment. Moreover, radioimmunological analysis revealed that changes observed in AQP5 expression corresponded with diminished follicular androgens production after both maternal (p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively) and neonatal (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively) flutamide administration. Therefore, AQP5 appears to be a potential regulator of follicular fluid accumulation, under androgen control, and may be a key factor in antral follicle growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Animal Physiology and Endocrinology, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grzesiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knapczyk-Stwora
authors.affiliation: School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Luck
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mobasheri
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Zoology, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Slomczynska
mesh_terms: D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D051402:Aquaporin 5 / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005485:Flutamide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D006080:Ovarian Follicle / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology / Q000502:physiology; D010053:Ovary / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D034421:Sus scrofa
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists; D051402:Aquaporin 5; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005485:Flutamide