Publications by authors named "Nina M Alyoshina"
Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is known to be a regulator of oocyte maturation in a large number of animal species. In maturing mammalian oocytes, the accumulation of exogenous, maternal serotonin occurs due to the activity of the membrane transporter SERT. In this work, we investigated how SERT activity in oocytes correlates with indicators of follicular selection and oocyte maturity.
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- Serotonin (5-HT) is crucial for regulating female reproductive functions in various animals, particularly within mammalian ovaries where it is taken up by the membrane serotonin transporter (SERT) and is active in oocytes.
- The study investigates how serotonin is transported and degraded by monoamine oxidase (MAO) in ovarian follicles, demonstrating the roles of these processes through pharmacological agents and immunohistochemical techniques.
- Results show that MAO activity limits serotonin accumulation in oocytes by absorbing serotonin in surrounding granulosa cells, and that oocytes without surrounding cells (denuded oocytes) can collect serotonin more effectively.
The origin of serotonin in the ovary is the key question for understanding mechanisms of serotonergic regulation of reproductive function. We performed a study of the expression and functional activity of the serotonin transporter (SERT) and the enzyme for the synthesis of serotonin, aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (DDC) in mouse ovary. A pronounced peak of SERT mRNA expression occurs at the age of 14 days, but serotonin synthesis enzymes are expressed at the maximum level in the ovaries of newborn mice.
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