Histomorphometric study of the follicles of the ovary in Bangladeshi women.

Background: The accurate assessment of size and number of ovarian follicles are paramount to understanding the physiology of female reproduction. Objective: To observe the variation in size of the Graafian follicle and follicular number with age in Bangladeshi women. Methods: This descriptive type of study was done in the Department of Anatomy, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka, from January to December 2009, on 140 post mortem human ovaries collected from 70 unclaimed female dead bodies from the morgue of Forensic Medicine, Dhaka Medical College, Dhaka. The samples were divided into three age-groups including group A (10-13 years), group B (14-45 years) and group C (46-52 years). 10 best prepared histological slides from 14-45 years age group were examined to determine the average size of Graafian follicle and 20 slides from each group were taken to determine the number of follicles. Results: The average diameter of the Graafian follicles of the right is slightly higher than that of the left ovary but not statistically significant (p>0.05). No difference was found in follicular number in between the right and the left ovaries at any age group. However, the difference in number of the follicles of the ovary were statistically significant in between age groups A & C and B & C (p<0.001). Conclusion: The average diameter of Graafian follicle was found greater in the right ovary than the left ovary. However, the number of ovarian follicles was found to decrease in old age.

The role of angiotensin II to regulation of steroidogenic pathway in human ovarian follicle / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: The exact mechanism of angiotensin II to steroidogenesis is still speculative in spite of many researches especially in human and these were performed indirectly with serum or follicular fluid. Under the hypothesis that ovarian RAS increases androgen, decreases progesterone synthesis in normal human ovary, we investigated the exact action of angiotnesin II on human ovary. METHODS: After appliance of angiotensin II and saralasin to the normal human ovarian follicles, we measured sex steroids like progesterone, testosterone, DHEA and enzymes like HSD3beta2, CYP 17 to see the action of angiotensin II and its antagonist, saralasin. The results were analyzed by ANOVA test. RESULTS: Angiotensin II increased androgen synthesis but did not affect progesterone synthesis. There were no difference of HSD 3beta2 mRNA expression in angiotensin II and saralasin group compared with control group. The expression of CYP17 mRNA was increased by angiotensin II but did not reach statistically significant level. CONCLUSION: Angiotensin II could increase androgen production probably via overexpression of CYP17, but had no efffect on progesterone production.

The Immunologic Expression of Apoptosis Related Proteins and Apoptotic Cells in Human Ovarian Follicles / 대한불임학회지

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of apoptosis related proteins and apoptotic cells on the human ovarian follicles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty five Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded human ovarian tissue blocks were selected from the surgical pathology files of the department of pathology, College of Medicine, Yonsei University, for the period from 1996 to 1998. All specimen were from premenopausal women aged from 32~45. Ovarian tissues were collected from the patients performing hysterectomy for benign uterine diseases. Immunohistochemical staining was performed for the detection of DNA fragmented cell, Bcl-2, Bax, Fas and Fas-ligand. RESULTS: Bcl-2 and bax were not expressed on the surrounding cells and oocyte of the primary, primordial and preantral follicles. Fas and Fas-ligand (Fas-L) were not expressed on the surrounding cells on the primordial and primary follicles. But expressed on the surrounding granulosa cells and oocyte in the primordial and primary follicles. In the healthy follicles, Bcl-2 was expressed on the granulosa cells, however, Bax was not expressed. DNA fragmented cells were expressed on the inner granulosa cell layer of atretic follicles. CONCLUSION: Fas, Fas-ligand, and Bax may be responsible for the follicular atresia and Bcl-2 may be involved in the follicular survival in the human ovary.