Progesterone Induces Apoptosis and Steroidogenesis in Porcine Placental Trophoblasts

Placentation and placental steroidogenesis are important for pregnancy and maternal–fetal health. As pregnancy progresses, the main site of progesterone (P4) synthesis changes from the corpus luteum to the placenta, in which placental trophoblasts are the main cell type for P4 synthesis. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of P4 on apoptosis and steroidogenesis in porcine placental trophoblasts and the underlying molecular mechanisms. Porcine placental trophoblasts were treated with different concentrations of P4 for 48 h in a serum-free medium in vitro. Cell number, steroidogenesis, and relevant gene and protein expression levels were detected. A high dose of P4 (10.0 μM) significantly increased P4 (p p p p −3 μΜ) had no marked impact on steroid production. The mRNA expression of apoptosis-related genes (CASP3, CASP8, and Bax) (p CYP11A1, CYP19A1, and StAR) (p HSD3B and HSD17B4 was inhibited (p p p p p p p p p p < 0.01) was upregulated. In summary, excessive P4 can induce the apoptosis of porcine placental trophoblasts and lead to abnormal steroidogenesis in the placenta and hormone imbalance