Expression of leptin and its long form receptor at the porcine maternal-fetal interface: contrasting healthy and arresting conceptus attachment sites during early and mid-pregnancy

摘要

BackgroundIt is well established that spontaneous conceptus loss in swine is associated with an imbalance of both angiogenic and immunological factors. Leptin (LEP), a metabolic hormone, has also been implicated in the promotion of angiogenesis. In this study, LEP and its long form receptor (OB-Rb) were evaluated during porcine pregnancy to assess their basal level of expression and their potential role in conceptus development.