TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

CERTIFICATION

DEDICATION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENT

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

ABSTRACT

CHAPTER ONE  

INTRODUCTION​​​​​​​​​​1

1.1 AIM OF THESTUDY​​​​​​​​​2

1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THESTUDY​​​​​​​​2

1.3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS​​​​​​​​3

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 STRESS​​​​​​​​​​​4

​2.1.1 TYPES OF STRESSORS​​​​​​​5

2.1.2 EFFECTS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS ON FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM​​​​​​​​​​6

2.2 THE MAMALIAN FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

​2.2.1 FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE FUNCTIONS IN MAN​​​​7

​​2.2.1.1 OVARIES​​​​​​​​7

​​2.2.1.2 FALLOPIAN TUBES​​​​​​​7

​​2.2.1.3 UTERUS ​​​​​​​​7

​​2.2.1.4 VAGINA​​​​​​​​7

2.2.2 FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN RATS​​​​8

​​2.2.2.1 ESTROUS CYCLE​​​​​​​9

​​2.2.2.2 ESTROUS CYCLE PHASES​​​​​​9

2.2.2.3 ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE ESTROUS CYCLE​​​​​​​​​10

​​2.2.2.4 MATING AND REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOR ​​​11

​​2.2.2.5 PREGNANCY DETECTION ​​​​​11

​​2.2.2.6 FERTILIZATION AND EARLY EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT 11

​​2.2.2.7 EMBRYO IMPLANTATION​​​​​12

​​2.2.2.8 GESTATION, PARTURITION AND WEANING​​​13

​2.2.3 HORMONAL CONTROL OF PREGNANCY IN RATS ​​​14

​​2.2.3.1 HORMONAL CHANGES​​​​​​15

2.3 SLEEP DEPRIVATION

​2.3.1 INTRODUCTION​​​​​​​​19

2.3.2 SLEEP LOSS AND ADRENOCORTICAL ACTIVITY​​​21

​2.3.3 SLEEP LOSS AND METABOLISM​​​​​​22

2.3.4 SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND ADVERSE MATERNAL AND FOETAL OUTCOMES​​​​​​​​​​24

​2.3.5 MECHANISMS​​​​​​​​​26

​

2.4 OXIDATIVE STRESS AND PREGNANCY​​​​​​27

​2.4.1 ANTIOXIDANTS​​​​​​​​29

​2.4.2 REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND THEIR PHYSIOLOGICAL ACTIONS 29

​2.4.3 OXIDATIVE STRESS IN FEMALE REPRODUCTION​​​32

​2.4.4 OXIDATIVE STRESS AND PREGNANCY​​​​​33

2.5 OXIDATIVE STRESS ANDINFLAMMATION​​​​​33

2.5.1 C-REACTIVE PROTEIN​​​​​​​36

2.6 GLUTATHIONE(GSH)​​​​​​​​​37

​2.6.1 D-RIBOSE L-CYSTEINE​​​​​​​41

2.6.2 EFFECTS OF D-RIBOSE L-CYSTEINE ON GSH LEVEL​​​42

CHAPTER THREE: MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY 

3.1 MATERIALS​​​​​​​​​​43

3.2 ANIMALS​​​​​​​​​​