Role of superoxide dismutase in the prolongation of the life span of the corpus luteum

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1. The first study was undertaken to investigate whether suppression of intracellular Cu, Zn-SOD activity influences luteal function. To suppress SOD activity, dispersed rat luteal cells were incubated with Cu, Zn-SOD antisense oligonucleotides. The 48-h treatment with antisense oligonucleotides (10 μM) inhibited both SOD activity by 50% and progesterone concentrations in the medium. This inhibitory effect was completely blocked by the simultaneous addition of an antioxidant. Treatment with antisense oligonucleotides caused no significant change in the percentage of apoptotic cells. It is concluded that the decrease in intracellular SOD activity inhibits progesterone production by rat luteal cells, which may be mediated by superoxide radicals, suggesting that intracellular SOD plays important roles in the regulation of luteal function.2. (1) The second study was undertaken to investigate whether SOD is related to pregnancy-induced maintenance of luteal function. Placentae obtained from … More rats on day 12 of pregnancy were incubated for 24h, and the supernatant was used as placental luteotropins. Pseudopregnant rats were given the placental incubation medium from day 9 to day 12 of pseudopregnancy. Serum progesterone concentrations and luteal SOD mRNA and activity were increased by this treatment on day 12. Testosterone in the placental incubation medium acted on the corpus luteum without conversion to estrogen. (2) The third study was undertaken regarding the involvement of SOD in the human luteal function. SOD expression in the corpus luteum of early pregnancy was significantly higher than that in the mid-luteal phase corpus luteum. The incubation of the mid-luteal phase corpus luteum with hCG increased both luteal SOD expression and progesterone production. Collectively, it is concluded that placental luteotropins increased SOD expression in the corpus luteum and stimulated progesterone production, suggesting that SOD is involved in the maintenance of the luteal function by placental luteotropins. Less