The effect of estrone and estradiol treatment on endometrial total protein, uteroferrin, and retinol-binding protein secretion during midpregnancy or midpseudopregnancy in swine.

Abstract

It has been hypothesized that conceptus estrogens influence endometrial protein secretion during pregnancy in swine. To test this hypothesis, the effect of estrone and estradiol treatment from d 30 to 60 of pregnancy or pseudopregnancy on endometrial protein secretion was investigated. Pregnant (P; n = 16) and pseudopregnant (PP) gilts (n = 18) received either sham treatment or estrone or estradiol implants (5 mg/d release rate; 60 d release) on d 30 of P or PP. Blood samples were collected on d 30, 40, 50, and 60 to measure estrone and estradiol. On d 60, gilts were hysterectomized. For P gilts, endometrium in apposition to one placenta from each uterine horn was collected. For PP gilts, each uterine horn was flushed with 40 mL of leucine-deficient minimal essential medium (MEM), and endometrial tissue was collected from each horn. Endometrial tissues were incubated in MEM in the presence of 50 microCi of [3H]leucine to examine protein secretion. Estrone and estradiol treatments increased both plasma and endometrial concentrations of estrone (P < .01 except endometrium for P gilts) and estradiol (P < .01, respectively). Endometrium from P gilts secreted more nondialyzable macromolecules (NDM), acid phosphatase activity (AP, a measure of uteroferrin), and retinol-binding protein (RBP) in culture than did endometrium from PP gilts. Estrone treatment increased (P < .01) endometrial NDM from P gilts but not that from PP gilts; estradiol had no effect. Both estrone and estradiol increased (P = .069) endometrial secretion of AP of PP but not of P gilts. Endometrial secretion of RBP was not affected by either estrone or estradiol treatment. Neither estrone nor estradiol affected total protein or AP and estrone treatment decreased (P < .05) RBP in uterine flushings from PP gilts. These data indicate that endometrium from P pigs secretes more protein than endometrium from PP pigs but neither estrone nor estradiol completely mimics the effect of pregnancy.