The Prostaglandin Forming Cyclooxygenase of Ovine Uterus: Relationship to Luteal Function

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Abstract
The activity of the prostaglandin forming cyclooxygenase was measured in uterine microsomes prepared from 26 ewes distributed over Days 3, 8, 11, 13, 14 and 15 (estrus = Day 0) of an estrous cycle. The specific enzyme activity was higher on Days 13–15 than earlier in the cycle (P2α. The authors suggest that the onset of luteolysis depends on an increase in the concentration of the caruncular cyclooxygenase and, thus, on the efficiency with which arachidonic acid is converted to PGH2, the endoperoxide precursor of PGF2α. An immunocytofluorescence procedure was used to establish that cyclooxygenase containing cells in the uterine caruncles include the luminal epithelium, vascular endothelium and caruncular stroma. One of these cell types, possibly the caruncular stromal cells, is the site of the cyclical changes in cyclooxygenase activity and may be the luteolysin producing cell of the ovine uterus.

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