Affiliations: Dipartimento di Produzioni Animali, Biotecnologie
Veterinarie, Qualità e Sicurezza degli Alimenti – Sezione di
Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di Parma, 43100 Parma, Italy | Dipartimento di Morfofisiologia Veterinaria e
Produzioni Animali, Università di Bologna, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Bologna,
Italy
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. Giuseppina Basini, Dipartimento
di Produzioni Animali, Biotecnologie Veterinarie, Qualità e Sicurezza
degli Alimenti – Sezione di Fisiologia Veterinaria, Università di
Parma, Via del Taglio 8, 43100 Parma, Italy. Tel.: +39 0521 902775; Fax: +39
0521 902770; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: During follicle growth swine granulosa cells are physiologically
exposed to a progressive oxygen shortage. It has already been shown that
hypoxia stimulates angiogenesis through an increase of VEGF production,
however, despite considerable progress in the understanding of the final events
induced by cellular hypoxia, the signal transduction pathway remains elusive.
Recent evidence suggest a role for Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) as hypoxia
signal transducer. Granulosa cells were isolated from pig follicles (> 5 mm)
and cultured for 18 h in normoxic (19% O_2), hypoxic (5%
O_2) or anoxic (1% O_2) conditions.
Following the incubation ROS (O_2^- and
_2O_2) production and the activity of
scavenging enzymes (SOD, catalase and peroxidase) were determined. It was
apparent from our data that ROS generation was reduced by hypoxia. On the
contrary, SOD and peroxidase, but not catalase, increased their activity.
Further studies are needed to verify whether ROS are involved in signalling
hypoxia.
