Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How progestin causes cystic uterine changes in female dogs
By Bhatti, Sofie F M et al.·Published in Domestic animal endocrinology·2007·Department of Small Animal Medicine and Clinical Biology·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Role of progestin-induced mammary-derived growth hormone in the pathogenesis of cystic endometrial hyperplasia in the bitch.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of female dogs that had their mammary glands surgically removed were given a hormone treatment called medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) to see how it affected their reproductive health. After the treatment, all the dogs developed a condition called cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH), which is an abnormal thickening of the uterus lining. The study found that while MPA treatment changed the hormone levels in the dogs, the growth hormone from the mammary glands was not a key factor in causing CEH. This suggests that other factors may be involved in this condition in female dogs.
People also search for: dog cystic endometrial hyperplasia treatment · MPA hormone effects in dogs · why is my dog having uterine problems
Abstract
Endogenous progesterone and synthetic progestins may induce hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH) of mammary origin, hyperplastic ductular changes in the mammary gland, and the development of cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH) in dogs. It was investigated whether progestin-induced mammary GH plays a role in the pathogenesis of CEH in the bitch. During 1 year, bitches with surgically excised mammary glands and healthy control bitches received medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Before and after MPA treatment, uterine and mammary tissues were collected for histological, immunohistochemical, and RT-PCR examination. After MPA administration, the mammary tissue in the control dogs had differentiated into lobulo-alveolar structures and CEH was present in all uteri of both dog groups. In the MPA-exposed mammary tissue of the control dogs, GH could only be demonstrated immunohistochemically in proliferating epithelium. After treatment with MPA the dogs of both groups had immunohistochemically demonstrable GH in the cytoplasm of hyperplastic glandular uterine epithelial cells. RT-PCR analysis of the mammary gland tissue after MPA administration demonstrated a significant higher GH gene, and lower GHR gene expression than before treatment. In the uterus, the expression of the gene encoding for GH was significantly increased in the mastectomized dogs, whereas in the control dogs the expression of the gene encoding for insulin-like growth factor-I had significantly increased with MPA administration. MPA treatment significantly down regulated PR gene expression in the uterus in both dog groups. These results indicate that progestin-induced GH of mammary origin is not an essential component in the development of CEH in the bitch.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16956744/