EN
Due to a similar chemical structure to 17β-estradiol (E₂), phytoestrogens may inhibit or modulate endogenous estrogen action. Although the authors demonstrated that phytoestrogens did not influence basal progesterone (P4) secretion, nonetheless it simultaneously inhibited the stimulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) and prostaglandin (PG) E₂ on P4 release in bovine corpus luteum (CL) in vitro. Since phytoestrogens are luteolytic factors in the late luteal stage (enhanced PGF₂α secretion in vitro and the level in plasma), these factors possibly also play some role in cytokine action (mediators of PGF₂α during luteolysis) in cattle. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of phytoestogen metabolites on the sensitivity of bovine corpus luteum cells on tumor necrosis factor α, interferon γ and interleukin 1β action, by measuring the level of PGF₂α and stable metabolites of nitric oxide and by determining the viability of CL cells on day 15 of the estrous cycle. Phytoestrogens can increase functional luteolysis by enhancing PGF₂α and NO synthesis stimulated by cytokines. Moreover, phytoestrogens can modulate structural luteolysis by increasing the sensitivity of steroidogenic cells on the cytotoxic action of cytokines in bovine CL.