The concentrations of progesterone and 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione in ovarian and uterine venous plasma and in the systemic circulation were measured during gestation in the rat. The steroids were quantified by radioimmunoassay after separation on silicic acid micro-columns with the solvent system hexane : ethyl acetate (5 : 2, v/v). The concentration of progesterone in the systemic circulation was highest on days 3--4 and 13--17 of pregnancy; throughout gestation, the concentration of 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione was low in relation to that of progesterone and showed no marked changes as gestation proceeded. The level of progesterone in ovarian venous effluent was 10--20 times higher than that in the uterine vein and 20--50 times greater than that in the systemic circulation. The rate of secretion of progesterone by the ovary was highest during days 13--17 of gestation and ovariectomy during this period markedly reduced the levels of progesterone in the peripheral circulation. The concentration of progesterone in the uterine venous effluent was raised compared with the concentration in plasma from the abdominal aorta, especially on days 7 and 9 of pregnancy. These results suggest that, in vivo, the rat placenta synthesizes small amounts of progesterone and secretes it into the maternal circulation. The ovary is the primary source of progesterone during pregnancy and the placental contribution is of secondary importance. Although 4-ene-5alpha-reductase enzyme(s) is present in the ovary and placenta, significant quantities of the reduced progestin 5alpha-pregnane-3,20-dione are not secreted into the systemic circulation during gestation in the rat.
Neural tube defects are the most common malformations associated with diabetic pregnancies. Although the teratogenic effects of excess glucose have been investigated in in vivo and in vivo studies, a cellular basis for neural tube defects has not been elucidated. We used rat embryo culture to study the organogenesis period of development, with excess d-glucose added to the serum medium to induce neural tube anomalies. Light and electron microscopic examination of control 12-day-old embryos grown 48 hours in culture revealed blastlike cells with few organelles or cellular processes. Twelve-day-old embryos cultured in excess d-glucose had advanced cellular maturation with differentiation, including the presence of free polysomes and copious cell processes, regardless of whether they had an open neural tube. Cytoarchitectural changes such as decreased numbers of mitotic figures with mitotic cells in the mantle layer were focally distributed throughout the neural epithelium but with predominance at the site of failed closure. In vivo studies failed to demonstrate neural processes in day 12 normal embryos. Fourteen-day-old embryos grown in utero also had foci of cell processes in the neural tube but to a much lesser degree than that observed in the in vitro day 12 glucose-exposed embryos. The cellular aberrations in the excess d-glucose-treated embryos are characteristic of a premature maturational change. Since they are present in excess d-glucose-exposed embryos with or without failure of neural tube closure, these maturational and cytoarchitectural changes may contribute to the cellular basis for neural tube defects.
The influence of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) on rat embryo development and neurogenesis was investigated using a rat conceptus culture system during organogenesis (pregnancy days 10-13). The embryos and visceral yolk sacs of conceptuses cultured with BrdU were examined for overall growth, morphological anomalies, incorporation of radiolabeled BrdU into DNA, and neurotransmitter enzyme activities in embryos. In addition, neural tubes from cultured whole embryos were isolated and mechanically dissociated into fragments and cultured again to assess neural cell differentiation into neuron-like cells. BrdU was found to incorporate differentially into embryonic and visceral yolk sac DNA with simultaneous stage-specific retardation and anomalous organogenesis in proportion to the increasing concentrations used. Neural tube differentiation of cultured embryos was markedly altered, and there were morphologically distinct neural anomalies. The neurite outgrowth from neuroblast cells (type 1) of explanted spinal neural tube fragments from BrdU-treated embryos was markedly reduced in length and number compared to those from similar areas of embryos grown without BrdU. In contrast, BrdU at the same doses did not affect differentiation of a number of neural tissue-related enzymes. These results indicate that BrdU incorporation into DNA of primordial embryonic cells significantly affects neurogenesis and differentiation of neurites from neuroblasts, which is a specific neural cytodifferentiation characteristic of neuronal cells.
The morphology, seasonal variation and histochemistry of the sexual segment of the Indian house lizard, Hemidactylus flaviviridis are described.The sexual segment is the hypertrophied portion of the secondary and the tertiary collecting ducts of the kidney in males. The cells of the sexual segment are columnar and are loaded with secretory granules which are predominantly localized in the apical portion. These granules are either free or occasionally clumped to form an "aggregate" towards the basement membrane and are released into the lumen by apocrine secretion. Development of the sexual segment is synchronous with the spermatogenic activ-
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