Abstract
Tubal factor infertility occurs in 30–35% of infertile pairs and may be caused by impaired muscular contractility and ciliary beating as well as immunological imbalance and chronic inflammation. Newly discovered telocytes (TCs) have a wide palette of features, which play a role in oviduct physiology. We have observed tissue samples from human fallopian tubes in patients with and without uterine myoma by immunolabelling. According to the immunohistochemical co-expression of markers, it has been determined that TCs are engaged in a wide range of physiological processes, including local innervation, sensitivity to hypoxia, regulation of calcium, and sex steroid hormones balances. Due to the proximity of NOS- and ChAT-positive nerve fibers and the expression of ion channels markers, tubal TCs might be considered conductor cells. Additionally, their integration in contractions and cilia physiology in the context of fertility has been revealed. We have observed the difference in telocytes expression in the human oviduct between groups of patients and attempted to describe this population of cells specifically in the case of infertility development, a clinically relevant avenue for further studies.
Highlights
The oviduct is an essential part of the female reproductive system in the context of fertility [1], which consists of four anatomical parts: The infundibulum and associated fimbriae near the ovary, the ampulla, the isthmus, which is closest to the uterus, and the part penetrating the myometrium [2,3,4]
A similar tendency has been described by Abd-Abd-Elhafeez et al in the bovine uterine tube. He divided telocytes into three subpopulations based on size, and stressed that large forms were common for the lamina propria and epithelium, while giant forms were prevalent in the external layer of the outer perimuscular sheath [35]
The results of this study demonstrate that human oviductal telocytes play their own role in the oviductal microenvironment as well as the pathophysiology of processes, the disturbance of which may lead to infertility
Summary
The oviduct (known as the fallopian tube in humans) is an essential part of the female reproductive system in the context of fertility [1], which consists of four anatomical parts (from lateral to medial): The infundibulum and associated fimbriae near the ovary, the ampulla, the isthmus, which is closest to the uterus, and the part penetrating the myometrium (intramural or interstitial portion) [2,3,4]. The inner layer, the mucosa, includes two types of cells: Mucosal and ciliated cells, that have a direct sensory role [2] and are controlled by sex steroid hormones, growth factors (for instance, epidermal growth factor-EGF), and neuronal stimulation [6,7]. Sufficient expression of estrogen receptor alpha in the isthmus of the oviduct and normal progesterone levels allow for the successful transport of the embryo from the Fallopian tube to the uterus [12]
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