Progesterone Induces Apoptosis and Steroidogenesis in Porcine Placental Trophoblasts

Yueshuai Liu; Hongxiang Ding; Yuze Yang; Yan Liu; Xin Cao; Tao Feng

doi:10.3390/ani12192704

Progesterone Induces Apoptosis and Steroidogenesis in Porcine Placental Trophoblasts

Animals (Basel). 2022 Oct 8;12(19):2704. doi: 10.3390/ani12192704.

Authors

Yueshuai Liu^{1

2

3}, Hongxiang Ding^{2

3}, Yuze Yang⁴, Yan Liu^{2

3}, Xin Cao¹, Tao Feng^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ College of Life Science and Engineering, Northwest Minzu University, Lanzhou 730030, China.
² Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine (IAHVM), Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (BAAFS), Beijing 100097, China.
³ Joint Laboratory of Animal Science between IAHVM of BAAFS and Division of Agricultural Science and Natural Resource of Oklahoma State University, Beijing 100097, China.
⁴ Beijing General Station of Animal Husbandry, Beijing 100107, China.

Abstract

Placentation and placental steroidogenesis are important for pregnancy and maternal−fetal health. As pregnancy progresses, the main site of progesterone (P4) synthesis changes from the corpus luteum to the placenta, in which placental trophoblasts are the main cell type for P4 synthesis. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of P4 on apoptosis and steroidogenesis in porcine placental trophoblasts and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Porcine placental trophoblasts were treated with different concentrations of P4 for 48 h in a serum-free medium in vitro. Cell number, steroidogenesis, and relevant gene and protein expression levels were detected. A high dose of P4 (10.0 μM) significantly increased P4 (p < 0.01), androstenedione (p < 0.05), testosterone (p < 0.05), and estradiol (p < 0.05) production in porcine placental trophoblasts compared with that in control cells, while a low dose of P4 (1 × 10−3 μΜ) had no marked impact on steroid production. The mRNA expression of apoptosis-related genes (CASP3, CASP8, and Bax) (p < 0.05) and steroidogenesis-related genes (CYP11A1, CYP19A1, and StAR) (p < 0.01) was upregulated, and the expression of HSD3B and HSD17B4 was inhibited (p < 0.05) in the porcine placental trophoblasts treated with high doses of P4. Low doses of P4 had a lighter effect on gene expression than high doses. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins CASP3 (p < 0.05), and Bax (p < 0.01) and steroidogenesis-related proteins CYP19A1 (p < 0.05) and StAR (p < 0.01) was raised, but the proliferation-related protein CCND2 (p < 0.01) was downregulated in the pTr cells treated with high dose of P4. In comparison, a low dose of P4 inhibited the expression of Bax, CYP11A1 (all p < 0.01), and CCND2 (p < 0.05), but the expression of CASP3 (p < 0.05) and StAR (p < 0.01) was upregulated. In summary, excessive P4 can induce the apoptosis of porcine placental trophoblasts and lead to abnormal steroidogenesis in the placenta and hormone imbalance.

Keywords: gene expression; porcine placental trophoblast cell; progesterone; steroidogenesis.

Abstract

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