Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Progesterone inhibits embryotoxic effect of the complement system.

Pavla Nováková1, Michal Zeman

  • 1Charles University, 3rd Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Histology and Embryology, Prague 10, Ruská 87, 100 00, Czech Republic. pavlan@lf3.cuni.cz

Neuro Endocrinology Letters
|July 27, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Normal human serum complement can harm developing embryos. However, high progesterone levels during the menstrual cycle protect against this complement-induced embryotoxicity.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Methodological differences in fecal corticosterone metabolite extraction in pet rabbits: implications for welfare assessment.

Frontiers in veterinary science·2026
Same author

Ergothioneine attenuates cardiac fibrosis induced by a high-fat diet in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The Journal of nutritional biochemistry·2026
Same author

Age-related differences in circadian timing system and sleep quality in young and older lifelong endurance runners.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

When touch is stressful: acute endocrine and behavioral responses of domestic rabbits to unfamiliar human handling.

Frontiers in veterinary science·2026
Same author

Effects of a 12-week time-of-day-specific concurrent resistance-aerobic training on muscle strength, bone mass and functional performance in elderly women.

European journal of translational myology·2026
Same author

Composition of microbiota from chicken caecal mucosa considerably differs from microbiota in the caecal lumen.

Animal microbiome·2026

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Reproductive Science

Background:

  • The complement system in normal human serum (NHS) exhibits dose-dependent embryotoxicity, causing malformations in chick embryos.
  • Complement-induced embryotoxicity shows significant variation during the menstrual cycle, despite stable complement serum activity (CH100).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between menstrual cycle hormonal fluctuations and complement system-induced embryotoxicity.
  • To determine the role of progesterone in modulating complement-mediated developmental toxicity.

Main Methods:

  • Administration of normal human serum (NHS) to chick embryos at different stages of the menstrual cycle.
  • Measurement of complement serum activity (CH100).
  • Correlation analysis between embryotoxicity levels and progesterone concentrations.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Complement-induced embryotoxicity varied significantly across the menstrual cycle.
  • Complement serum activity (CH100) remained constant throughout the cycle.
  • Embryotoxicity levels were negatively associated with progesterone levels.

Conclusions:

  • Physiological progesterone levels, particularly in the luteal phase, suppress the embryotoxic effects of the complement system.
  • Progesterone plays a crucial role in protecting embryos from complement-mediated damage during the menstrual cycle.