Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) together with its active G protein-coupled receptors are present in the corpus luteum (CL) of the cow. Under in vivo conditions, LPA stimulated P4 and PGE2 secretion during the luteal phase of the estrous cycle in heifers. Furthermore, LPA maintained P4 synthesis and actions in the bovine CL in vitro. However, the effect of this phospholipid on nitric oxide (NO)-induced functional and structural luteolysis has not been investigated. The aim of the present work was to determine the effects of LPA on 1) NO-induced functional luteolysis, 2) NO-dependent PG synthesis, and 3) NO-induced structural luteolysis in cultured steroidogenic luteal cells. We documented that LPA reversed the inhibitory effect of NONOate, an NO donor, on P4 synthesis and PGE2/PGF2alpha ratio in cultured steroidogenic luteal cells. Additionally, LPA inhibited NO-induced apoptosis in cultured steroidogenic luteal cells via abrogation of the NO-dependent stimulatory influence on proapoptotic TNFalpha/TNFR1 and Fas/FasL expression, Caspase 3 activity, and the Bax/Bcl2 ratio during luteal regression in the bovine CL. In conclusion, this study proves that in the presence of LPA, NO cannot induce luteolytic capacity acquisition, leading to functional and structural luteolysis of bovine luteal cells.
Keywords: cow; luteolysis; lysophosphatidic acid; nitric oxide; steroidogenic cells.