Three-dimensional microvascolature remodeling study of pig periovulatory follicles using vascular corrosion casts

摘要

Follicular dynamics is characterized by a succession of growth stages that involve cyclical recruitment of primordial follicles that, through successive proliferative and differentiating stages, reach final development resulting in ovulation of a mature gamete with appropriate development potential. This coordinated sequence of events is the basis of the fertility of each subject. Although the precise mechanism of follicular selection and activation is only partially known, several studies have revealed that vascular support is a crucial element in follicular growth as it modulates the presence of paracrine and endocrine signals, fundamental for the control of folliculogenesis and for conditioning the intrafollicular environment in which the egg cell grows and matures (Fraser 2006).