Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Reproductive and Urinary Physiology Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Reproductive and Urinary Physiology
Free Fatty Acid Treatment Alters Autophagy During Mouse Preimplantation Embryo Development, Zuleika C. L. Leung
Free Fatty Acid Treatment Alters Autophagy During Mouse Preimplantation Embryo Development, Zuleika C. L. Leung
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Obesity-induced hyperlipidemia is one of the main factors for female infertility. Hyperlipidemia, specifically with high levels of palmitic acid (PA) and oleic acid (OA), interferes with preimplantation development. Autophagy is essential in early embryo development but, it is unknown whether hyperlipidemia affects autophagic mechanisms in preimplantation embryos. It was hypothesized that PA will alter autophagy in preimplantation mouse embryos and that the subsequent effects will be reversed by OA. PA impaired blastocyst development by arresting embryos at the 8-cell stage. PA also elevated early embryo autophagy by increasing autophagosome formation, decreasing maturation, and disrupting degradation. Co-treatment with OA showed developmental …
Characterization Of The Nicotine-Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response In The Rat Placenta In Vivo And In Vitro, Michael Ka Chun Wong
Characterization Of The Nicotine-Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Response In The Rat Placenta In Vivo And In Vitro, Michael Ka Chun Wong
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Nicotine exposure during pregnancy leads to adverse health outcomes, including compromised placental development. Although the molecular mechanisms remain elusive, recent studies identified that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress may underlie poor placentation. Therefore, we were interested in investigating the effects of nicotine exposure on the ER stress response in the placenta. A well-established maternal nicotine exposure rat model and Rcho-1 trophoblast giant cell model were utilized to address the research questions. Maternal nicotine exposure in vivo led to elevated ER stress in association with impaired disulfide bond formation and hypoxia. Nicotine exposure in vitro further differentiated that ER stress may be …