Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga 05508-070, SP, Brazil.
Department of Animal Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of São Paulo, Pirassununga 05508-070, SP, Brazil.
Genes (Basel). 2022 Apr 26;13(5):769. doi: 10.3390/genes13050769.
The corpus luteum (CL) is a temporary endocrine gland that plays a decisive role in the reproductive physiology of gilts. Recently, it has been suggested that exogenous factors may compromise the normal functioning of the CL. In the present study, we aimed to understand to what extent an acute and systemic challenge with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on the day of estrus could compromise gene expression of gilts’ CLs housed in different welfare conditions. For this, we housed 42 gilts in three different housing systems: crates, indoor group pens, and outdoor housing. Then, we challenged six females from each group with LPS and eight with saline (SAL) on the day of estrus. After slaughtering the gilts on the fifth day after the challenge, ovaries were collected for gene expression analysis by RT-qPCR. Housing system and LPS challenge did not have a significant interaction for any genes evaluated; thus, their effects were studied separately. We identified significant (p < 0.05) downregulation of the angiogenic genes VEGF and FTL1 among LPS-challenged animals. Meanwhile, we also observed upregulation of HSD3B1 gene among LPS-challenged animals. We found that STAR and LHCGR genes were differentially expressed depending on the housing system, which indicates that the environment may affect adaptation capabilities. Our results indicate that an acute health challenge on the estrus day alters CL gene expression; however, the role of the housing system remains uncertain.
黄体（CL）是一种临时的内分泌腺，在母猪的生殖生理中起着决定性的作用。最近，有人提出，外源性因素可能会损害 CL 的正常功能。在本研究中，我们旨在了解发情日急性和全身脂多糖（LPS）挑战在多大程度上会损害处于不同福利条件下的母猪 CL 的基因表达。为此，我们将 42 头母猪安置在三种不同的饲养系统中：笼养、室内群养和户外饲养。然后，我们在发情日对每组的 6 头母猪进行 LPS 挑战，对 8 头母猪进行生理盐水（SAL）挑战。在挑战后的第五天屠宰母猪后，收集卵巢进行 RT-qPCR 基因表达分析。饲养系统和 LPS 挑战之间没有显著的相互作用；因此，分别研究了它们的影响。我们发现 LPS 处理的动物中血管生成基因 VEGF 和 FTL1 显著下调。同时，我们还观察到 LPS 处理的动物中 HSD3B1 基因的上调。我们发现 STAR 和 LHCGR 基因的表达因饲养系统而异，这表明环境可能会影响适应能力。我们的结果表明，发情日的急性健康挑战会改变 CL 的基因表达；然而，饲养系统的作用仍然不确定。
