Felis catus ovary as a model to study follicle biology in vitro

Purpose The current study was designed to evaluate the response of individual intact antral follicles from adult female domestic cats to a luteinizing hormone (LH) stimulus in vitro by assessing cumulus-oocyte expansion (C-OE) and steroid production. Methods C-OE and steroid levels (estradiol [E2] and progesterone [P4]) obtained from individual antral feline follicles ( n = 366 follicles; n = 56 cats) were analyzed after 12 or 24 h of culture in the presence or absence of LH (low [3.4 ng/ml] or high [100 ng/ml]). Results At the end of the culture, the highest percentage of expanded cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) was observed in the LH groups at 12 or 24 h in comparison to their controls ( p