Abstract
Ciliary activity, characterized by the coordinated beating of ciliary cells, generates the primary driving force for oviduct tubal transport, which is an essential physiological process for successful pregnancies. Malfunction of the cilium in the fallopian tube, or oviduct, may increase the risk of infertility and tubal pregnancy that can result in maternal death. While many ex-vivo studies have been carried out using bright field microscopy, this technique is not feasible for the in-vivo investigation of oviduct ciliary beating frequency (CBF). Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been able to provide in-vivo CBF imaging in a mouse model, but its resolution may be insufficient to resolve the spatial and temporal features of the cilium. Our group has recently developed the phase resolved Doppler (PRD) OCT method to visualize ciliary strokes at ultra-high displacement sensitivity. However, the cross-sectional field of view (FOV) may not be ideal for visualizing the surface dynamics of ciliated tissue. In this study, we report on the development of phase resolved Doppler spectrally encoded interferometric microscopy (PRD-SEIM) to visualize the oviduct ciliary activity within an en face FOV. This novel real time imaging system offers micrometer spatial resolution, sub-nanometer displacement sensitivity, and the potential for in-vivo endoscopic adaptation. The feasibility of the approach has been validated through ex-vivo experiments where the porcine oviduct CBF has been measured across different temperature conditions and the application of a drug. CBF ranging from 8 to 12 Hz have been observed at different temperatures, while administration of lidocaine decreased the CBF and deactivated the motile cilia. This study will serve as a stepping stone to in-vivo oviduct ciliary endoscopy and future clinical translations.
Highlights
Tubal transport is an essential process for successful spontaneous pregnancy by controlling the interaction between gametes as well as delivering the fertilized ovum to the uterus for implantation [1,2,3]
It is of great significance to study the frequency and synchronicity of oviduct ciliary activity to better understand the etiology of fallopian tube related ectopic pregnancy or infertility
We developed phase resolved Doppler spectrally encoded interferometric microscopy (PRD-SEIM) to visualize the real time surface dynamics of the oviduct
Summary
Tubal transport is an essential process for successful spontaneous pregnancy by controlling the interaction between gametes as well as delivering the fertilized ovum to the uterus for implantation [1,2,3]. Dysfunctions in tubal transport, such as failure to capture the oocytes or transport the ovum, can induce infertility or life-threatening ectopic pregnancy [4,5,6]. Pilot studies further indicated that ciliary activity plays a dominant role in the transportation of the fertilized ovum [9,10]. The synchronized beating of the cilia generates the driving force to move the fluid as well as the ovum through the oviduct [6]. It is of great significance to study the frequency and synchronicity of oviduct ciliary activity to better understand the etiology of fallopian tube related ectopic pregnancy or infertility
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