Background: The process of wound healing involves integrated events including inflammation, granulation tissue formation, matrix deposition and remodeling. Growth factors play a key role in the process. Among them transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) is known to accelerate tissue repair by promoting the synthesis and deposition of extracellular matrix proteins. However, persistence or overact...

Background and aims: Various culture media along with some supplements and enrichment materials have been suggested for in vitro maturation. This study aims to investigate the effect of retinoic acid on nuclear maturation of immature mouse oocytes in vitro. Materials and methods: immature oocytes were obtained from 6-8 weeks old NMRI mice, 48 hours after intraperitoneal injection of 7.5 units ...

The aim of in vitro maturation oocyte systems is to produce oocytes of comparable quality to those derived in vivo. The present study was designed to examine the surface morphological changes of the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC) and nuclear maturation in a culture system containing pyruvate. Ovaries were obtained from a slaughterhouse and transported to the laboratory within 2 h at 35-39 degrees...

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and estradiol 17-β (E2) in maturation medium on nuclear maturation and cumulus expansion of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) obtained from bovine ovaries. COCs were classified as good and poor quality grades based on cumulus investment. COCs were then su...

Maturation of the oocyte involves nuclear and cytoplasmic changes that include post-translational processing of proteins. The objective was to investigate whether inhibition of proteasomes during maturation would alter competence of the bovine oocyte for fertilization and subsequent development. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were cultured in the presence or absence of the proteasomal inhibitor MG132...

Recent studies have suggested that leptin has a central role in female reproduction, including ovarian function. The leptin receptor (Ob-R) has six isoforms and can signal through either the MAPK or the Janus-activated kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription signal-transduction pathway, depending on the isoform. Expression of Ob-R has been reported in human and mouse oocytes; ho...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to facilitate the in vitro maturation of sheep oocytes, and enhance embryo's capability for further development. However, such kind of molecular mechanism has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the effect of EGF-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinases 3 and 1 (MAPK3/1) pathway on in vitro maturation of sheep oocytes. U0...

BACKGROUND With improved prospects for the use of human oocyte in-vitro maturation in assisted reproductive technologies, the need to define more clearly the coordination of nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation has arisen. METHODS Immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy were used to evaluate cell cycle-dependent modifications in chromatin and microtubules in human germinal vesicle oocytes (n...

A key feature of maturation of dendritic cells is the down-regulation of antigenprocessing and up-regulation of immunostimulatory capacities. To study the differential expression of transcription factors in this process, we investigated the nuclear translocation and DNA binding of Rel/NF-kB and octamer factors during in vitro generation and maturation of dendritic cells compared with macrophage...

Circulating red blood cells (RBCs) are essential for tissue oxygenation and homeostasis. Defective terminal erythropoiesis contributes to decreased generation of RBCs in many disorders. Specifically, ineffective nuclear expulsion (enucleation) during terminal maturation is an obstacle to therapeutic RBC production in vitro. To obtain mechanistic insights into terminal erythropoiesis we focused ...