The purpose of the present study was to determine the immunoreactivity of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its two receptors: VEGFR-1 (flt-1, fms-like tyrosine kinase) and VEGFR-2 (flk-1, fetal liver kinase) on the endothelial cells of the lymphatic vessels in the area of the vascular subovarian plexus (VSP) of the broad ligament during different phases of the estrous cycle in pigs. The authors also investigated the expression and correlation between investigated factors and phases of the estrous cycle. The highest immunoreactivity for VEGF-A was observed in the lymphatic vessels of VSP at the follicular and early luteal phases of the estrous cycle. VEGFR-1 displayed the same pattern of immunostaining intensity as VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 revealed the highest immunoreactivity in the early luteal and late luteal phases of the estrous cycle. Additionally, VEGF-A, VEGFR-1 and VEGFR-2 expression was assessed by semi-quantitative Western Blot analysis, which revealed significantly higher levels of VEGF-A and VEGFR-2 proteins during the early-luteal and the follicular phase of the estrous cycle (P ≤ 0.001) and a very weak expression of VEGFR-1 during the whole estrous cycle. All factors displayed phase-related differences in the immunostaining intensity of the endothelial cells of the lymphatic vessels (VSP) in the porcine broad ligament of the uterus, suggesting that they are hormone-dependent during the estrous cycle in pigs.
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