Altrenogest during early pregnancy modulates uterine glandular epithelium and endometrial growth factor expression at the time implantation in pigs

Muro, Bruno Bracco Donatelli; Leal, Diego Feitosa; Carnevale, Rafaella Fernandes; Torres, Mariana Andrade; Mendonça, Maitê Vidal; Nakasone, Denis Hideki; Martinez, Cristian Hernando Garcia; Ravagnani, Gisele Mouro; Monteiro, Matheus Saliba; Poor, André Pegoraro; Martins, Simone Maria Massami Kitamura; Viau, Priscila; Oliveira, Cláudio Alvarenga de; Castro, Raquel Vasconcelos Guimarães de; Bessi, Brendon Willian; Bressan, Fabiana Fernandes; Pulz, Lidia Hildebrand; Strefezzi, Ricardo Francisco; Almond, Glen William; Andrade, André Furugen Cesar de

Altrenogest during early pregnancy modulates uterine glandular epithelium and endometrial growth factor expression at the time implantation in pigs

Muro, Bruno Bracco DonatelliLeal, Diego FeitosaCarnevale, Rafaella FernandesTorres, Mariana AndradeMendonça, Maitê VidalNakasone, Denis HidekiMartinez, Cristian Hernando GarciaRavagnani, Gisele MouroMonteiro, Matheus SalibaPoor, André PegoraroMartins, Simone Maria Massami KitamuraViau, PriscilaOliveira, Cláudio Alvarenga deCastro, Raquel Vasconcelos Guimarães deBessi, Brendon WillianBressan, Fabiana FernandesPulz, Lidia HildebrandStrefezzi, Ricardo FranciscoAlmond, Glen WilliamAndrade, André Furugen Cesar de

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of supplying altrenogest from day 6-12 of pregnancy on the endometrial glandular epithelium, corpora lutea (CL) morphology, and endometrial and CL gene expression. A total of 12 crossbred females (Landrace × Large White) were used. The females were assigned to 4 treatments according to a random design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with two categories (sow or gilt) and two treatments (non-treated and treated with altrenogest). On day 6 of pregnancy, animals were allocated to one of the following groups: non-treated (NT, n = 6; 3 sows and 3 gilts), and (T, n = 6; 3 sows and 3 gilts) treated daily with 20 mg of altrenogest, from day 6-12 of pregnancy. All animals were euthanized on day 13 of pregnancy. All CLs were individually weighed, and their volume were determined. The endometrial glandular density (GD), mean glandular area (MGA), and vascular density (VD) were determined by histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyses. Endometrium samples were collected and analyzed by qRT-PCR to evaluate the abundance of transcripts for VEGF and IGF-I. Females in the T group had higher MGA (P 0.05) compared to the NT group. There was no effect of treatment on GD or VD for both experimental groups. Sows in the T group had augmented expression of IGF-I (P 0.05). Progestagen had no detrimental effect on CL morphology. In conclusion, altrenogest improves the uterine environment during the peri-implantation period in pigs without compromising corpora lutea development.