Abstract
Previously we demonstrated that conceptus mortality in swine is associated with alterations in the uterine epithelial glycocalyx after administration of estradiol valerate (E) on Days 9 and 10 of gestation. The objective of the present study was to examine ultrastructural characteristics of the uterine epithelium following E administration. Gilts received either 5.0 mg (i.m.) of estradiol valerate ( n=6) or vehicle (control; n=6) on Days 9 and 10 of gestation. Endometrial tissue was processed for transmission electron microscopy on Days 12, 14, 16, and 18 of pregnancy. On all days studied, surface epithelial cells lining the uterine lumen were characterized by the presence of vesicular nuclei, prominent Golgi complexes, and abundant mitochondria. Glycogen deposition was prominent in both control and E-treated gilts; however, glycogen accumulation was greater in E-treated gilts than in control gilts on Day 12 of pregnancy. In control gilts, clear vesicles were more prominent in the apical aspect of uterine epithelial cells compared with the basal aspect on Day 12 of gestation. Dense bodies were more numerous in the basal region compared with the apical region of the uterine epithelium in control and E-treated gilts. Volume density ( V D) of mitochondria was greater on Days 16 and 18 than on Day 12 of gestation in control and E-treated gilts. The V D values of rough endoplasmic reticulum were not different between control and E-treated gilts on Days 12–18 of gestation. The V D value of smooth endoplasmic reticulum was greater in control gilts than in E-treated gilts only on Day 12 of gestation. These ultrastructural changes indicated an earlier increase in synthetic and secretory activity in E-treated gilts compared with control gilts and suggest that embryonic death, previously demonstrated to be associated with alterations in the uterine epithelial glycocalyx, did not result from any dramatic ultrastructural changes in the uterine epithelium.
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