Photobiomodulation can improve ovarian activity in polycystic ovary syndrome-induced rats.

Follicular cystic ovary disease is a common reproductive disorder in women and females of domestic animals, characterized by anovulation and the persistence of follicle is a common cause of reproductive failure in mammalian. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is characterized by hyperandrogenism (HA), chronic anovulation and polycystic ovaries, and it is a common reproductive endocrine disease with clinical manifestations including hirsutism, acne, infertility and obesity that can affect 5-20% of women in their reproductive age. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has been investigated and used in clinical practice, related to biomodulatory influences on cellular functions in animals and humans, both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we include endocrine and reproductive features in a rat model for PCOS and the effects of PBM on ovarian activities. Forty-five adult female Wistar rats PCOS-induced by a single dose of the estradiol valerate (EV) were used in the study. After the EV injection for PCO induction, rats were divided into 9 groups (n = 5/group) named C30, C45 and C60 (Control group), S30, S45 and S60 (PCO group) and L30, L45 and L60 (PCO/Laser group). The rats were irradiated with laser 3 times/week. The results shown that EV PCO-induced rats had increased body mass, reduced ovary mass, and reduced GSI. The plasma levels of P4 and T were increased, and the LH plasma level was decreased by PBM stimulation. The number of ovarian follicles and corpus luteum were increased, and the number of ovarian cysts was decreased by PBM stimulation. Thus, reproductive and endocrine characteristics were modulated by PBM.

Effects of angiotensin II, atrial natriuretic peptide and endothelin-1 on proliferation and steroidogenic output of bovine granulosa cells cultured in a chemically defined system.

The role of local factors in the modulation of granulosa cell (GC) proliferation and differentiation is well described in the literature. The present work used a long-term bovine GC culture, in chemically defined medium without gonadotropins, to study the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and endothelin-1 (EDN1) on the steroidogenesis and cellular proliferation. Small follicles (3-5mm in diameter) from ovaries obtained in the slaughterhouse were selected according to their vascularization and follicular fluid color in order to isolate GC. Granulosa cells were plated at a density of 5×10(4)cells/well in supplemented alpha-MEM containing 3 levels (0, 10(-8)M and 10(-7)M) of Ang II, ANP, and EDN1 for up to 96h. Proliferation was evaluated by tritiated thymidine incorporation. The results showed that Ang II, ANP, and EDN1 modulate the steroidogenic output and proliferation index of GCs depending on the dose and time of culture. The selected vasoactive peptides increased androstenedione (A4) consumption in parallel with increased estradiol (E2). Although the peptides also promoted a significant increase in pregnenolone (P5) and progesterone (P4) production, the E2:P4 ratio was maintained at a high at most of the tested doses. Taken together, our in vitro data suggest that these vasoactive factors may have a direct effect on physiological follicular deviation, favoring dominance of the selected follicle.