Abstract

The corpus luteum (CL) is an organ that is formed and regressed during the female reproductive cycle. The structural and functional changes from follicle to CL after ovulation occur in association with rapid angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is known to be stimulated by a variety of growth factors, one of the strongest of which is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF also has a function in the angiogenesis of newly formed CL and is strongly induced by a transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF1). HIF1 is a heterodimeric transcription factor and strongly induces a variety of genes under hypoxic conditions. Luteal formation has been suggested to progress under hypoxic conditions, because of bleeding in the ruptured follicle and because the vasculature is scant and immature. This chapter describes the diverse phenomena caused by hypoxic conditions on functional and structural changes in the ovary immediately before and after ovulation.

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