Experimental Physiology Celebrating 100 years
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Experimental Physiology 91.3 pp 521-530
DOI: 10.1113/expphysiol.2005.033134
© The Physiological Society 2006
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
91/3/521    most recent
expphysiol.2005.033134v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Klemcke, H. G.
Right arrow Articles by Christenson, R. K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Klemcke, H. G.
Right arrow Articles by Christenson, R. K.
Related Collections
Right arrow Placental-Perinatal

Lack of effect of metyrapone and exogenous cortisol on early porcine conceptus development

H. G. Klemcke1, J. L. Vallet1 and R. K. Christenson1

1 USDA-ARS, Roman L. Hruska US Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE 68933, USA

A study was conducted to evaluate the influence of maternal cortisol on early conceptus development in pigs (Sus scrofa). The corticosteroid synthesis inhibitor metyrapone was injected daily during days 14–19 of pregnancy, without (n= 6) and with commensurate administration of cortisol (n= 6). Blood samples were taken via an indwelling jugular catheter on days 14 and 18, and conceptuses were harvested during surgery on day 20. Compared with vehicle-injected control dams (n= 7) plasma cortisol and aldosterone concentrations were decreased (P < 0.01) by 52 and 29%, respectively, by metyrapone treatment. Cortisol administration reversed decreases in plasma cortisol by day 18. There were no treatment-associated effects on conceptus survival or size. Nor were there treatment-associated effects on allantoic fluid volume or content. Trophodermal glucocorticoid receptor (GR) mRNA expression decreased by 34% (P < 0.05) in metyrapone-treated pigs, and was not further influenced by concomitant administration of cortisol, thereby suggesting an influence of aldosterone on GR mRNA expression. Also, when all pigs were considered, there were treatment-independent second-order polynomial regressions (P < 0.05) between maternal plasma cortisol concentrations and embryonic weight, allantoic size and allantoic glucose concentrations, and between plasma aldosterone concentrations and trophodermal GR mRNA expression. Such biphasic corticosteroid concentration versus tissue parameter curves are noteworthy, but difficult to interpret validly. They may suggest that an appropriate corticosteroid environment is necessary for optimal porcine embryonic development during this stage of gestation, but cannot overshadow the absence of treatment effects on the porcine embryonic measures evaluated.

(Received 29 December 2005; accepted after revision 13 January 2006; first published online 23 January 2006)
Corresponding author H. G. Klemcke: US Army Institute of Surgical Research, 3400 Rawley E. Chambers Avenue, Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234, USA. Email: harold.klemcke{at}amedd.army.mil




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Hum Reprod UpdateHome page
A. E. Michael and A. T. Papageorghiou
Potential significance of physiological and pharmacological glucocorticoids in early pregnancy
Hum. Reprod. Update, September 1, 2008; 14(5): 497 - 517.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2006 by the The Physiological Society.