Abstract
Prostaglandins have been implicated in both maintenance and luteolysis of the primate corpus luteum. Central to the production of prostaglandins is the enzyme prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGHS). In the present study, we identified the cell types which contain PGHS in 44 human corpora lutea, using immunoperoxidase staining techniques. Intense granular staining was present in the cytoplasm of granulosa lutein cells of tissues obtained from the mid-luteal phase. Theca lutein cells demonstrated a diffuse cytoplasmic staining which was less intense than that observed in granulosa lutein cells. Staining appeared less intense in tisues from the early or late phase. Ovarian stromal cells demonstrated little or no PGHS immunoreactivity. PGHS staining in the corpus luteum of pregnancy was similar in intensity and cell distribution to that of mid-luted corpus luteum. In summary, human corpus luteum contains immunoreactive PGHS which localized mainly to welldifferentiated granulosa lutein cells.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 800-804 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Human Reproduction |
| Volume | 5 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 1990 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Tissue specimens were obtained with the assistance of F.B.Askin, M.D., Department of Pathology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The technical assistance of Carole Bryant in preparing the luteal sections is gratefully appreciated. The research was supported by NIH grants HD-22299, HD-18968, and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Keywords
- Corpus luteum
- Cyclooxygenase
- Immunohistochemistry
- Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Reproductive Medicine
- Obstetrics and Gynecology