Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

With the inrush of new data the recent clear division of neural, hormonal and immunological regulation has been seriously complicated. Both central and peripheral neural tissue produce over 30 neuropeptides, among which are many classic peptide hormones. A steroid biosynthetic pathway has been demonstrated in oligodendrocytes. However, the distribution and role of peptydoergic neurons within the reproductive system are only superficially known among farm animals. Neurons have receptors for many hormones and interleukins. Cells of the immune system, in addition to secretion of many interleukins and interferons, produce neuropeptides locally and they possess specific receptors for them as well. Till now, the interaction between the nervous, hormonal and immunological systems has not been taken into account while investigating the functions of ovarian follicles, the corpus luteum, oviduct and uterus. The penetration of blood and lymphatic vessels by hormones, neuropeptides and cytokins has not been taken into consideration also. The counter current transfer of many steroid and peptide hormones from ovarian venous and lymphatic effluent to arterial blood supplying the ovary and through arterial anastomoses of the oviduct and uterus has been hithero shown. It has been demonstrated that thanks to this system, arterial blood supplying the uterus and oviduct has, in physiological conditions, a much higher level of some steroid hormones such as progesterone and androstendione, 37% and 36% respectively, than in systemic blood. Recently, a powerful exchange system for resupplying hormones to the brain which is dependent on the phase of the estrous cycle, has been discovered. It has also been demonstrated that neuropeptides LH-RH, beta-endorphin and oxytocin as well as the steroid hormone progesterone, were counter current transferred from venous to arterial blood at the perihypophyseal cavernous sinus and carotid rete in sheep and gilts, but only during specific periods of reproductive activity. The mechanism of this process is still unknown. The role of peptydoergic neurons and cytokins in vascular permeability during hormone counter current transfer in the broad ligament vasculature, perihypophyseal cavernous sinus and carotid rete has not been investigated. It is suggested that progress in this area may change our point of view on many basic regulatory mechanisms involved in animal reproductive physiology.
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PMID:New pathways in animal reproductive physiology frontiers and perspectives. 134 74

The effect of several growth factors, protein and steroid hormones on follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)-stimulated and basal inhibin secretion by mature porcine granulosa cells (g-cells) in culture was examined in order to elucidate the putative role of growth factors and hormones in the regulation of inhibin secretion by porcine g-cells in vitro. Cells were incubated with the respective hormones over a timespan of 0-144 h and immunoreactive inhibin was measured with a radioimmunoassay against porcine inhibin. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and human transforming growth factor type beta (TGF-beta) decreased basal and gonadotrophin-stimulated inhibin and progesterone in a dose-dependent manner. In the absence of insulin, insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-I) caused a 4-fold enhancement of basal inhibin secretion, but inhibin secretion was elevated only to 20% above control in the presence of 500 nM insulin. Porcine platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) had no significant effect on basal or FSH-induced inhibin secretion by g-cells. In addition, neither gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) nor prolactin (PRL), arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin affected basal or FSH-stimulated inhibin release by porcine g-cells. Oestradiol caused a slight but significant (P less than 0.01) rise of basal inhibin production (158% of control) in the last 2 days of culture (96-144 h) and the effect of androstenedione on basal (158% of control) and FSH-stimulated (140% of control) inhibin release (P less than 0.01) was also only visible on Days 4-6 of culture. In contrast to androstenedione and oestradiol, progesterone did not show any effect during 6 days of culture in a dose range of 10(-5) to 10(-9) M. Like steroids, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) had a stimulatory effect on basal inhibin production (250% of control) by porcine g-cells, visible on Days 3-6 of culture, but an inhibitory effect on FSH-stimulated release (less than 40% of control). Over all the experiments with different hormones and growth factors, tested in varying doses and over a time span of 0-144 h, there was a strong correlation between progesterone and inhibin secretion by g-cells (0-48 h = 0.78; 48-96 h = 0.92; 96-144 h = 0.92). These results suggest that EGF, TGF-beta, IGF-I, oestradiol and androstendione as well as PGE2 have para- and/or autocrine modulatory effects on basal and FSH-stimulated inhibin secretion by mature porcine g-cells in vitro and further demonstrate that the secretion of the proteohormone inhibin and the steroid progesterone are closely related.
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PMID:Effects of growth factors and hormones on basal and FSH-stimulated inhibin production by porcine granulosa cells in vitro. 194 20

The endocrine mechanism involved in term and preterm delivery in primates, including pregnant women, are poorly understood. In the term monkey, fetal plasma androgen concentration rises to two hundred times the maternal concentration which remains unchanged. Placental conversion of androgen to estrogen results in increased maternal plasma estrogen concentration at term in both pregnant nonhuman primates and women. In the present study, continuous infusion of androstenedione to 0.8 gestation monkeys resulted in the premature occurrence of labor-type myometrial activity and increases in maternal plasma estrogen, oxytocin and amnion fibronectin concentrations similar to those measured at normal-term labor. Androstenedione induction of these normal-term biochemical and endocrine changes accompanied by fetal membrane rupture, cervical dilatation and live delivery provides a rich opportunity to study the molecular and physiological mechanisms of both term and preterm labor in primates.
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PMID:Production of premature delivery in pregnant rhesus monkeys by androstenedione infusion. 859 55

The presented overview gives clear evidence for steroids as local regulators of follicular and luteal activity. In the follicle, estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and ERbeta expression are demonstrated in cow, ewe and pig. Besides species specific effects in general, there is evidence that estradiol-17beta (E(2)) exerts a dose-dependent inhibition on the secretion of progesterone (P(4)) by both theca interna cells (TI) and granulosa cells (GC). GC enhance the ability of the TI to produce androstendione by supplying them with progestin precursor. Androgen produced by TI enhances the ability of the GC to make E(2), and high concentrations of E(2) in the preovulatory follicle inhibit 3beta-HSD in both TI and GC and thus, may promote the use of the pathway Delta(5) for TI androgen production. The authors suggest that E(2) acts within the follicle to exert positive feedback on androgen and E(2) production, and exerts mitotic and anti-atretic or anti-apoptotic effects on follicular cells. Parts of the E(2)-mediated local action are regulated by stimulating effects on hormone receptors (LH, FSH, oxytocin). Gap junctions permit transfer of nutrients and cytokines to and from the avascular GC and oocyte, and formation is stimulated by estrogens. In bovine corpus luteum (CL) there is evidence that P(4) may directly regulate the production of P(4), oxytocin and prostaglandins (PGs) in a cycle dependent fashion. In most of domestic animal species, there is clear evidence for CL production of E(2) with clear stimulatory and luteotropic effects on P(4), and an intraluteal circuit that involves paracrine effects of E(2), oxytocin and PGF(2alpha) (especially in pigs). In contrast, there are species (ruminants, mares) in which the evidence for important local effects of E(2) is less clear, although expression of ERalpha, ERbeta and progesterone receptor (PR) is documented. Progesterone is very important for the regulation of CL lifetime by effects on the endometrium and release of the luteolytic signal PGF(2alpha). In conclusion, steroids as local regulators of ovarian activity are now documented and may stimulate further research in this field.
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PMID:Steroids as local regulators of ovarian activity in domestic animals. 1214 26

Twelve neuroactive and neuroprotective steroids, androgens and androgen precursors i.e. 3alpha,17beta-dihydroxy-5alpha-androstane, 3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-androstan-17-one, 3alpha-hydroxy-5beta-androstan-17-one, androst-5-ene-3beta,17beta-diol, 3beta,17alpha-dihydroxy-pregn-5-en-20-one (17alpha-hydroxy-pregnenolone), 3beta-hydroxy-androst-5-en-17-one (dehydroepiandrosterone, DHEA), testosterone, androst-4-ene-3,17-dione (androstenedione), 3alpha-hydroxy-5alpha-pregnan-20-one (allopregnanolone), 3beta-hydroxy-pregn-5-en-20-one (pregnenolone), 7alpha-hydroxy-DHEA, and 7beta-hydroxy-DHEA were measured using the GC-MS system in young men before and after ejaculation provoked by masturbation. The circulating level of 17alpha-hydroxypregnenolone increased significantly, whereas the other circulating steroids were not changed at all. This fact speaks against the hypothesis that a drop in the level of neuroactive steroids, e.g. allopregnanolone may trigger the orgasm-related increase of oxytocin, reported by other authors.
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PMID:Circulating neuroactive C21- and C19-steroids in young men before and after ejaculation. 1623 56