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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

Bovine Ovarian Cortex Tissue Culture
Published on: January 14, 2021
Update on the role of ovarian corticotropin-releasing hormone
Erasmia Kiapekou1, Evangelia Zapanti, George Mastorakos
1First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alexandra Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece. ekiapek@otenet.gr
Abstract:
Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a 41-amino acid peptide synthesized by neurons of the parvocellular and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei. Central CRH is the principal regulator of the stress system influencing several systems in the brain and influenced by them. It activates the secretion of glucocorticoids and indirectly regulates the immune system and the immune response. Peripheral CRH is secreted by postganglionic sympathetic and unmyelinated sensory afferent neurons and has been identified in several peripheral tissues and organs, including those of the reproductive system (ovary, endometrium, placenta, and testis). In the human ovary, receptors are detected in thecal and stromal cells and in follicular fluid. Ovarian CRH regulates ovarian steroidogenesis and is involved in follicular maturation, ovulation, and luteolysis. In this concise review we briefly discuss the role of ovarian CRH in reproduction, emphasizing its role in oocyte maturation.
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