ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) on survival and growth of caprine preantral follicles. Pieces of ovarian tissue were cultured for 1 or 7 days in minimum essential medium (MEM) containing estradiol (1, 5, 10, 20 or 40 pg/ml), FSH (50 ng/ml), or a combination of the two hormones. Cultured and noncultured control ovarian tissues were processed for histological and ultrastructural studies. The results showed that after 7 days of culture, the treatments that yielded the highest percentage of normal follicles relative to MEM alone were those that combined FSH with estradiol at 1, 5 or 20 pg/ml. The addition of FSH to 1-day cultures containing 1 pg/ml estradiol or to 7-day cultures with 1 or 5 pg/ml estradiol increased the percentage of normal follicles compared to estradiol alone at the same concentrations. After 7 days of culture, all treatments generated higher percentages of developing follicles as compared to control and MEM alone. The addition of either FSH or 10 pg/ml of estradiol to the culture media or estradiol (1, 5, 10 or 20 pg/ml) and FSH in combination significantly increased follicular diameter as compared with MEM alone following 7 days of culture. Ultrastructural studies confirmed follicular integrity after 7 days of culture in the presence of 1 pg/ml estradiol plus FSH. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that the interaction between estradiol and FSH maintains ultrastructural integrity and stimulates activation and further growth of cultured caprine preantral follicles.
