Faculty Research 1990 - 1999

Follicular development and ovulation in macrophage colony-stimulating factor-deficient mice homozygous for the osteopetrosis (op) mutation.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1996

Keywords

Cell-Count, Cell-Division, Female, Graafian-Follicle: gd, pa, Granulosa-Cells: pa, Homozygote, Macrophage-Colony-Stimulating-Factor: df, Macrophages: pa, Mice, Mice-Inbred-C3H, Mice-Inbred-C57BL, Mutation, Osteopetrosis: ge, pa, Ovary: pa, Ovulation, SUPPORT-NON-U-S-GOVT, SUPPORT-U-S-GOVT-P-H-S

First Page

478

Last Page

484

JAX Source

Biol Reprod 1996 Feb;54(2):478-84

Grant

CA20408/CA/NCI

Abstract

To clarify the role of macrophages and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) in follicular development and ovulation, the processes of folliculogenesis and ovulation, numerical changes in macrophages, and proliferative capacity of granulosa cells were examined in op/op mice before or after daily M-CSF administration. The natural estrous cycle was determined daily by means of vaginal smears. The number of ovulated ova in both fallopian tubes was significantly smaller in op/op mice than in normal littermates. Such ova markedly increased in number after daily M-CSF administration. The numbers of both antral and mature follicles in the proestrous ovary were markedly lower in op/op mice than in the controls and increased after daily M-CSF administration. Flash-labeling with [3H]thymidine showed that the proliferative capacity of granulosa cells in antral follicles was reduced in op/op mice but elevated after daily M-CSF administration. Numbers of granulosa cells and macrophages in the antral follicles were significantly decreased in op/op mice but were increased after M-CSF treatment. All these data provide evidence that macrophages are implicated in the process of folliculogenesis and ovulation.

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