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Select Nutrients in the Ovine Uterine Lumen. I. Amino Acids, Glucose, and Ions in Uterine Lumenal Flushings of Cyclic and Pregnant Ewes¹

Center for Animal Biotechnology and Genomics,³ Departments of Animal Science⁴ and Veterinary Integrative Biosciences,⁵ Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843

ABSTRACT

Nutrients in uterine secretions are essential for development and survival of conceptuses (embryo and associated extraembryonic membranes) during pregnancy; however, little is known about changes in the amounts of specific nutrients in the uterine fluids of cyclic and pregnant ruminants. This study determined quantities of glucose, amino acids, glutathione, calcium, sodium, and potassium in uterine lumenal fluid from cyclic (Days 3–16) and pregnant (Days 10–16) ewes. Total recoverable glucose, Arg, Gln, Leu, Asp, Glu, Asn, His, beta-Ala, Tyr, Trp, Met, Val, Phe, Ile, Lys, Cys, Pro, glutathione, calcium, and sodium were greater in the uterine fluid of pregnant compared with cyclic ewes between Days 10 and 16. In cyclic ewes, only modest changes in the total amounts of glucose, Asn, Cit, Tyr, Trp, Met, Val, Cys, glutathione, calcium, and potassium were detected between Days 3 and 16. However, in pregnant ewes, amounts of glucose, Arg, Gln, Glu, Gly, Cys, Leu, Pro, glutathione, calcium, and potassium in uterine fluids increased 3- to 23-fold between Days 10 and 14 and remained high to Day 16. Of particular interest were increases in glucose, Arg, Leu, and Gln in uterine flushings of pregnant ewes between Days 10 and 16 of pregnancy. Total amounts of His, ornithine, Lys, Ser, Thr, Ile, Phe, Trp, Met, and Cit in uterine fluids also increased, but to a lesser extent during early pregnancy. These novel results indicate activation of pregnancy-associated mechanisms for transport of nutrients into the uterine lumen, and they provide a framework for future studies of nutrients, including glucose, amino acids, and glutathione, required to activate nutrient-sensing cell signaling pathways for growth, development, and survival of conceptuses, as well as for optimization of culture media for in vitro studies of conceptus development.

amino acids, conceptus, electrolytes, glucose, sheep, uterine fluid, uterus

Submission Companion Group: BIOLREPROD/2008/071654

¹Supported by the National Research Initiative Competitive grant 2006-35203-17283 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.

Correspondence: ²Fuller W. Bazer, Center for Animal Biotechnology and Genomics, 442 Kleberg Center, 2471 TAMU, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2471. FAX: 979 862 2662; e-mail: fbazer{at}cvm.tamu.edu

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H. Gao, G. Wu, T. E. Spencer, G. A. Johnson, and F. W. Bazer Select Nutrients in the Ovine Uterine Lumen. V. Nitric Oxide Synthase, GTP Cyclohydrolase, and Ornithine Decarboxylase in Ovine Uteri and Peri-Implantation Conceptuses Biol Reprod, July 1, 2009; 81(1): 67 - 76. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Gao, G. Wu, T. E. Spencer, G. A. Johnson, and F. W. Bazer Select Nutrients in the Ovine Uterine Lumen. VI. Expression of FK506-Binding Protein 12-Rapamycin Complex-Associated Protein 1 (FRAP1) and Regulators and Effectors of mTORC1 and mTORC2 Complexes in Ovine Uteri and Conceptuses Biol Reprod, July 1, 2009; 81(1): 87 - 100. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Gao, G. Wu, T. E. Spencer, G. A. Johnson, and F. W. Bazer Select Nutrients in the Ovine Uterine Lumen. IV. Expression of Neutral and Acidic Amino Acid Transporters in Ovine Uteri and Peri-Implantation Conceptuses Biol Reprod, June 1, 2009; 80(6): 1196 - 1208. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Gao, G. Wu, T. E. Spencer, G. A. Johnson, and F. W. Bazer Select Nutrients in the Ovine Uterine Lumen. III. Cationic Amino Acid Transporters in the Ovine Uterus and Peri-Implantation Conceptuses Biol Reprod, March 1, 2009; 80(3): 602 - 609. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]