Development and validation of a method for precise dating of female puberty in laboratory rodents: The puberty ovarian maturation score (Pub-Score).

ABSTRACT: Puberty is a key developmental event whose primary regulatory mechanisms remain poorly understood. Precise dating of puberty is crucial for experimental (preclinical) studies on its complex neuroendocrine controlling networks. In female laboratory rodents, external signs of puberty, such as vaginal opening (VO) and epithelial cell cornification (i.e., first vaginal estrus, FE), are indirectly related to the maturational state of the ovary and first ovulation, which is the unequivocal marker of puberty. Whereas in rats, VO and FE are almost simultaneous with the first ovulation, these events are not so closely associated in mice. Moreover, external signs of puberty can be uncoupled with first ovulation in both species under certain experimental conditions. We propose herein the Pubertal Ova

SUBMITTER: Gaytan F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5388887 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature