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Significance of the Epithelial Crypts at the Bovine Utero-Tubal Junction in the Pre-Ovulatory Phase of Sperm Regulation
Regulering af den præ-ovulatoriske spermiekoncentration i epithelkrypterne i uterus og Ovidukt
Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 36, pages 413–421 (1995)
Abstract
Because Polyspermie fertilisation is a pathological condition in mammals, arising from an excess of spermatozoa at the site of initial sperm-egg contact and leading to early death of the embryo, consideration has been given to the manner whereby the utero-tubal junction may contribute to a reduction in the numbers of spermatozoa entering the Fallopian tubes. This seems especially important in cattle since the utero–tubal junction does not exhibit swollen polypoid processes that might act physically to reduce the number of spermatozoa entering the isthmus from the uterus. In tissues prepared from animals close to the time of Ovulation, large numbers of simple glands were visible in the uterine surface and throughout the region of the utero-tubal junction and its ridges extending into the isthmus. The glands appeared as crypts, slits or craters. On the basis of a figure of 500 glands situated close to the utero-tubal junction and some 2–10 spermatozoa located within each gland, these conservative estimates suggest a temporary arrest of 1–5×103 spermatozoa, thereby contributing to the steeply diminishing sperm gradient before the site of fertilisation. There would thus appear to be a vital physical role for the simple glands and clefts that predominate in this region, functioning importantly in the pre–ovulatory interval to pave the way for normal mono– spermic fertilisation. More subtle forms of sperm regulation by glycoprotein molecules are also considered.
Sammendrag
Da polyspermi er en patologisk tilstand hos pattedyr, der opstår som følge af et for højt antal spermatozoa i det område af tuba uterina, hvor spermatozo-oocyt kontakten etableres, og som medfører tidlig embryonal død, gives der i nærværende artikel nogle betragtninger over mekantsmerne, hvormed den uterotubal forbindelse bidrager til at regulere antallet af sædceller. Mekanismer ne synes speciell betydningsfulde hos kvæg, idet den utero-tubale overgang ikke har svulne polyploide processer, som formentlig rent fysisk reducerer antallet af spermatozoa, som passerer ind i isthmus lumen fra uterus.
I vævsprøver udtaget fra dyr tæt på ovulations tidspunktet var et større antal simple kirtler synlige på den uterine overflade og i hele den utero-tubale overgang, og epithclfolder herfra var iigeledes synlige i isthmus delen. Kirtleme præsenterede sig som krypter, spalter eller kratre. Baseret på et antal af cirka 500 kirtler placcret tæt på den utero-tubale overgang og omkring 2-10 spermatozoa i hver kirtel, peger et groft skon på, at kun cirka 1–5 × 103 spermatozoa kortvarigt opholder sig i denne region, hvorved antallet af sædceller, som etterfølgende når stedet, hvor befrugtningen finder sted, reduceres betydeligt. Det synes således, at de simple kirtler og spalter, som dominerer i denne region, har en afgørende funktionel rolle i den præovulatoriske periode, så der banes vej for fertilisation med blot en enkelt spermatozo. Mere diskrete former for regulation af spermatozoa ved hjælp af glycoproteiner omtales Iigeledes.
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Acknowledgments
I am especially grateful to Professor C. Thibault and Dr. J.E. Fléchon of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, Jouy–en–Josas, France, for assistance with the photographic material, and to Frances Anderson in Edinburgh for preparation of the typescript. The study was supported in part by a grant from the Agricultural Research Council (U.K.) which is also gratefully acknowledged.
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Hunter, R. Significance of the Epithelial Crypts at the Bovine Utero-Tubal Junction in the Pre-Ovulatory Phase of Sperm Regulation. Acta Vet Scand 36, 413–421 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547656
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547656