LH reduces proliferative activity of cumulus cells and accelerates GVBD of porcine oocytes.

It has been reported that LH receptor (LHR) mRNA is not detected in cumulus cells of porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) just after collection from small antral follicles. The present study showed that the formation of LHR in cumulus cells was up-regulated by the cultivation with 20 ng/ml FSH. When the newly synthesized receptors were stimulated by 1.0 microg/ml LH, significantly higher levels of cAMP and progesterone production in cumulus cells were observed as compared with those of COCs cultured with FSH. A loss of proliferative activity of cumulus cells was induced by the additional LH to FSH-containing medium; however, the inhibitory effect was overcome by progesterone receptor antagonist RU486. Furthermore, the addition of LH also accelerated ongoing GVBD in cumulus cells-enclosed oocytes. These results revealed that during in vitro meiotic maturation of porcine COCs, progesterone secreted by FSH- and LH-stimulated cumulus cells reduced proliferative activity of cumulus cells; the changes of cumulus cells might be involved in inducing meiotic resumption of porcine oocytes.