Regulation of the Corpus Luteum during Pregrancy in Rats

The corpus luteum (CL) secretes progesterone, which is essential for the maintenance of pregnancy but also is a potent inhibitor of the ovulatory cycle in most of the mammals. Mammalian reproduction is, therefore, based on the balance between the emphemerality and the prolongation of the CL function. The rat is a nice model with the emphemeral CL, the lifespan of which is prolonged during pregnancy. The present review summerizes the recent aspects regarding the regulation of the CL function in rats, particularly stressing the crucial importance of the CL's emphemerality for the mammalian reproduction.