Objective: The aim of this study was the detection and location of long form leptin receptor (OB-Rb) in different area of hypothalamus and pituitary in the pig during early pregnancy.
Settings and design: Expression of OB-Rb was examined by RT-PCR in the different area of hypothalamus: medial basal hypothalamus (MBH), preoptic area (POA), stalk median eminence (SME), as well as pituitary: the anterior (AP) and posterior (NP) lobe collected from gilts at days 14-16 (n=4) and 30-32 (n=4) of pregnancy.
Results: The results showed that OB-Rb mRNA was expressed in the hypothalamus (MBH, POA and SME), pituitary (AP, NP) and adipose tissue in the pig during early pregnancy (at days 14-16 and 30-32).
Conclusion: These findings support the idea that leptin might play a role in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis activity, and consequently in the control of pregnancy during critical period of embryo implantation in the pig.