Germinal vesicle breakdown rates in oocytes and steroid levels in blood and ovarian fluid of the Persian sturgeon Acipenser persicus

Document Type : Short communication

Authors

• Saeed Hajirezaee ¹
• Gholam Reza Rafiee ¹
• Ramtin Hushangi ¹
• Ruhollah Rahimi ²
• Hamid Niksirat ³
• Rezvan Kazemi ⁴

¹ Department of Fisheries and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

² Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Sciences, Chabahar Maritime University, Chabahar, Iran

³ Department of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, Environmental Sciences Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C., Tehran, Iran

⁴ International Sturgeon Research Institute, Rasht, Iran

Abstract

In the present study, the steroids [Cortisol (C), testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT), progesterone (P), 17,20ß,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (20βS), 17α,20β dihydroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP) and 17α, hydroxyprogesterone (OHP)] in both blood serum (BS) and ovarian fluid (OF) as well as the rate of Germinal Vesicle Breakdown (GVBD) were measured for the Persian sturgeon, Acipenser persicus. The high positive correlations were found between 20ßS and P levels in both OF and BS. Additionally, 20ßS and P exhibited the positive correlation with percentage of GVBD while a significant negative correlation was found between Polarization Index (PI) values and percentage of GVBD. The levels of 20ßS and P in both BS and OF were significantly higher in females with high GVBD rate than in females with the lowest GVBD rate. Therefore, the percentage of GVBD may be affected by 20ßS and P levels in both OF and BS as well as by developmental stage of oocytes.

Keywords

• Acipenser persicus
• Ovarian fluid
• Steroids
• Germinal vesicle breakdown

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