Bovine - Female Repro Physiology Flashcards
What are the important endogenous hormones of the estrous cycle?
GnRH, LH, FSH, Estrogen/estradiol, inhibin, P4, PGF2-alpha
What does GnRH stand for?
Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone
What is the origin and target of GnRH?
it originates in the hypothalamus and targets the anterior pituitary
What is the function of GnRH?
stimulate production and release of gonadotropins (FSH and LH)
What system does GnRH utilize?
the hypothalamo-hypophyseal portal
What does FSH stand for?
follicle stimulating hormone
What is the origin and target of FSH?
originates in the anterier pituitary and targets the ovary
What is the function of FSH?
stimulate follicular recruitment and early follicular development - increases estrogen
What does LH stand for?
Luteinizing hormone
What is the origin and target of LH?
It originiates in the anterier pituitary and targets the theca and granulosa cells of ovarian follicle (especially the dominant) and corpus luteum
What is the function of LH?
it aids in follicular maturation, causes ovulation, and aids in maintaining the CL - it causes an increase in androgens
What happens to the androgens (testosterone) that LH influences the thecal cells to produce?
They are essentially pushed from the thecal cells to the granulosa cells to be converted into estrogens (estradiol)
What is the origin and target of etrogen/estrodial?
It originates in the follicles and targets the pituitary and hypothalamus and reproductive organs
What is the function of estrogen/estradiol?
It promotes GnRH release from the hypothalamus and alters FSH/LH ratio from pituitary
What is the origin and target of inhibin?
It originates in the granulosa cells in the ovarian follicle (dominant) and targets the anterior pituitary (negative feedback)
What is the function of inhibin?
suppresses the production and secretion of FSH
What is the origin and target of progesterone?
It originates in the corpus luteum and placenta and targets the hypothalamus and uterus
What is the function of progesterone?
It suppressess the secretion of GnRH from the hypothalamus (surge center) and allows for maternal recognition and maintenance of pregnancy
What is the origin and target of prostaglandin?
It originates in the endometrium and potentially the ovary and targets the corpus luteum
Where is prostaglandin excreted from the body?
the lungs
What is the function of prostaglandin?
lysis of the CL
What does prostaglandin utilize to move throughout the body?
it utilizes the utero-ovarian vascular countercurrent diffusion
What male structure is the utero-ovarian vascular countercurrent exchange homologous to?
the pampiniform plexus
What is the bovine cyclicity like?
polyestrous
How many eggs does the bovine ovulate in one cycle?
one
Do cattle go through menopause?
no - the bovine continues normal cyclicity throughout its life unless it is inhibited by disease or pregnancy
What is the length of the estrous cycle?
21 days (17-24)
What are the phases of the estrous cycle?
the follicular phase and the luteal phase
What happens during the recruitment stage of the estrous cycle (hormones)?
The tonic center releases GnRH to act on the anterior pituitary
The anterior pituitary releases FSH and LH to act on the ovary; more FSH is released than LH because FSH is needed for recruiting follicles
The recruited follicles release estradiol
The estradiol communicates to the surge center - ‘Hey bro, we need to make more, we are still working on growth here’
What happens during the selection phase of the estrous cycle?
GnRH is released from the tonic center to work on the anterior pituitary
The anterior pituitary releases FSH and LH; more LH is released in this stage because follicles are no longer needed to be recruited, they need to grow
Inhibin is released by the ‘selected’ follicles to tell the anterior pituitary ‘My dude, we need more LH, not FSH. WE NEED TO BE BIG AND STRONG’
Estradiol is still being released by the follicles to tell the hypothalamus ‘Keep that GnRH coming, we aren’t done yet.
What happens during the dominance stage of the estrous cycle (hormones)?
GnRH, released from the tonic center, continues to work on the anterior pituitary.
The anterior pituitary releases FSH and LH: this is when there is the highest surge of LH because the follicles gotta grow
The dominant follicle is releasing inhibin to work on the anterior pituitary to decrease the FSH secretion; ‘I am big brother, I eat all nutrients, no little bros please’
Estradiol is released from the dominant follicle to stimulate continued release of GnRH for further growth
Explain how estrogen provides negative feedback when progesterone is present.
When progesterone is present, even though the estradiol is telling the hypothalamus ‘bro, we need more,’ the progesterone (the gate keeper) is telling the hypothalamus ‘Nah, we gucci fam.’ After a while, estradiol and inhibin throw up the white flag and let progesterone win. The dominant follicle goes through atresia because there is no GnRH surge to push the follicle to ovulate.
Explain how estradiol provides positive feedback when progesterone is not present.
When progesterone is not present, the estradiol keeps communicating to the hypothalamus saying ‘hey we are producing enough estradiol, lets get things going.’ The hypothalamus notices that progesterone is no longer present and is like ‘okay, lets do this.’ There is a GnRH surge that increases the LH concentration, hopefully causing ovulation.
What stages occur during the follicular phase?
proestrus stage and estrus
What stages occur during the luteal phase?
metestrus stage and diestrus stage