Abstract
The quail acts as a model for recent experimental studies and its oviduct development is of special interest. This study was carried out on 61 adult female Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) collected from quail farms in Assiut and South Valley Universities in order to characterize the morphological features of the uterus during the post-hatching life. The process of development was consisted of three stages: undifferentiated, differentiated and adult stage. The undifferentiated stage began from day of hatching till 25-days old age and the oviduct was divided into cranial, middle and caudal parts. The caudal part (the future uterus and vagina) was represented by a simple wall of a single layer of simple columnar epithelial cells resting on subepithelial undifferentiated mesenchymal cells with many mitotic divisions. At 20 days old, the mucosa is thrown into distinct mucosal folds as well as the ciliated and secretory epithelial cells were first appeared at this age. At differentiated stage (from 30-40 days), the tubular glands began to develop and opened between the epithelial cells. The adult stage began from 50 days old and the luminal surface of the uterus was characterized by numerous long leaf-like folds. Also, the apical part of the cells showed positive reaction with PAS and Alcian blue. The tubular glands are filled with the secretion, which give positive reaction with PAS and Alcian blue. The uterovaginal junction lies between the uterus and the cranial part of the vagina, and contains the sperm host gland. This area showed transition of the mucosal folds from longitudinal folds of the uterus to complex interconnecting folds of the vagina. Many typical sperms with oval head and tail were inserted between the ciliated and microvillous surface epithelial cells of sperm host glands. This detailed anatomical and histological study of post-hatching development of uterus in quail will not only help to evaluate changes occurs during this critical period, but also will assist in understanding clearly the physiology of reproduction in quail.
Highlights
The oviduct is a complex biological organ that undergoes a series of hormonal, neuronal, biochemical and cellular changes during formation of an egg
The caudal part of the oviduct at 10-15 days extended caudally till its termination in the urodeum (Figure 1B) and it slightly enlarged than the cranial and middle parts and appeared black in color due to the concentration of dark pigment in its wall (Figure 1C).The oviduct at 20-25 days old enlarged in both thickness and diameter
The results revealed that the epithelium of the uterus of quail during early undifferentiated stage is consisted of simple columnar cells
Summary
The oviduct is a complex biological organ that undergoes a series of hormonal, neuronal, biochemical and cellular changes during formation of an egg. The oviduct of adult bird is well developed at the left side, atrophied at the right side and consisted of infundibulum, magnum, isthmus, uterus and vagina [2,3]. Many studies have been done in order to describe the characteristic morphological features of the oviduct in many avian species including fowl [4], duck [5], turkey [1] and ostrich [6]. The epithelium lining the oviduct in birds is consisted mainly of ciliated and non-ciliated secretory cells. The oviductal epithelial cells show marked regional variations in anatomical, histological and histochemical structures in many species [7,8]
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