A delayed ovulation of progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) by downregulating the LHCGR/PGR pathway

Yating Xie; Wenya Guo; Xi Shen; Weina Yu; Yanping Kuang; Qiuju Chen; Hui Long; Qifeng Lyu; Li Wang

doi:10.1016/j.isci.2023.107357

A delayed ovulation of progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) by downregulating the LHCGR/PGR pathway

iScience. 2023 Jul 8;26(8):107357. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107357. eCollection 2023 Aug 18.

Authors

Yating Xie¹, Wenya Guo¹, Xi Shen¹, Weina Yu¹, Yanping Kuang¹, Qiuju Chen¹, Hui Long¹, Qifeng Lyu¹, Li Wang¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Assisted Reproduction, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, P.R. China.

Abstract

Progestin-primed ovarian stimulation (PPOS) is a new ovulation stimulation protocol, and its role in ovulation and regulatory mechanism is unclear. The clinical PPOS protocol was simulated in mice. The ovulated oocytes, estradiol, progesterone, and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were analyzed at different hours after trigger. mRNA extraction and real-time PCR, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunofluorescence of ovaries were used to explore the involved signaling pathways. The PPOS group had a delayed ovulation at 12.5 h after trigger. Its suppressed LH level reduced the expression of luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) on the preovulatory follicles before trigger and significantly decreased the following progesterone synthesis, blood progesterone level, and progesterone receptor (PGR) expression within 4-6 h after trigger. Furthermore, the important ovulatory genes regulated by PGR including ADAMTS-1, VEGF-A, and EDN2 were downregulated, ultimately delaying the ovulation. PPOS suppresses the LH level before trigger and decreases the synthesis of progesterone after trigger, thus delaying the ovulation by downregulating the LHCGR-PGR pathway.

Keywords: Endocrine system physiology; Molecular biology.