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Review
. 2011 Jan 1;3(1):145-55.
doi: 10.2741/s140.

Endothelins in regulating ovarian and oviductal function

Phillip J Bridges  1 , Jongki Cho, CheMyong Ko
Affiliations
Review

Endothelins in regulating ovarian and oviductal function

Phillip J Bridges et al. Front Biosci (Schol Ed). .

Abstract

In the last 30 years, remarkable progress has been made in our understanding of the biological role of endothelins in the regulation of reproductive function and fertility. A peptide hormone identified for its ability to regulate blood pressure has now been shown as a potent mediator of several reproductive pathways. Ligand- and receptor-specific roles have been identified and/or postulated during follicular development and ovulation as well as in the function and regression of the corpus luteum. In this review we have attempted to organize endothelin-mediated ovarian processes in a process-specific manner, rather than compile a review of ligand- or isoform-specific actions. Further, we have included a discussion on "post-ovarian" or oviductal function, as well as the future directions that we believe will increase our understanding of endothelin biology as a whole.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The ovarian smooth muscle network. (Top panels) A section through a 5-week old mouse ovary. (Bottom panels) A section through a 47-years old woman’s ovary. The sections were stained with an antibody for α-SMA (reddish staining) followed by a counter staining with Mayer’s hematoxylin (blue). The high magnification images (400X) were taken in the boxed areas. CA, corpus albicans; FSM, follicular smooth muscle.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Endothelin types responsible for ovarian and oviductal function. Different stages of follicles, oocytes and CL are shown. The biological target of endothelin actions and responsible endothelin subtypes are listed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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