ANGIOTENSIN II-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVITY IN HUMAN OVARIAN FOLLICULAR FLUID

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Abstract
Human ovarian follicular fluid (hFF) has angiogenic activity, although the causative factors are unknown. We recently found that hFF contains renin activity which converts renin substrate to angiotensin I (AI). Since the enzymatic cleavage product of AI, angiotensin II (All), is a potent stimulator of new vessel formation, we have examined Sephadex G-25 column fractions of hFF and extracted hFF and plasma from individual patients forAll-like immunoreactivity (AII-IR). Eluent fractions from Sephadex G-25column chromatography of hFF had significant AII-IR which eluted in the same fractions as synthetic All. Individual, extracted FF samples contained approximately 10 times higher levels of AII-IR than extracts of plasma from the same patients. Serial dilutions of the Sephadex column fractions and extracted FF and plasma inhibited binding of (125)I-AII to rabbit anti-All serum in a manner parallel to the inhibition caused by synthetic All, indicating that the detected immunoreactivity was not dueto non-specific assay interference. In summary, the results indicate the presence of significant All-like immunoreactivity in hFF. Allmay now be considered as a potential mediator of the angiogenic activity present in hFF andmay play an important paracrine and/or autocrine role in physiologic events in the ovary.