Regions Of Reproductive Tract Research Articles

Sperm head morphometry and chromatin condensation are in constant change at seminiferous tubules, epididymis, and ductus deferens in bulls

The aim of this study was to evaluate the sperm head morphometry and chromatin condensation at different regions of the reproductive tract in bulls. Sperm smears of seminiferous tubules (ST), epididymis head (EH), body (EB), and tail (ET), and ductus deferens (DD) were stained with toluidine blue. Afterwards, the sperm head morphometry and chromatin alteration types were evaluated by a computational image analysis. Overall, spermatozoa of ST had lower (P < 0.05) area (A), perimeter (P), width (W), length (L), ellipticity (E), and Fourier harmonics (F0, F1, and F2). The chromatin decondensation (CD) and heterogeneity (CH) were higher (P < 0.05) in the ST region and decreased (P < 0.0001) during the migration along the reproductive tract (ST − DD direction). Considering the factors extracted (Factors 1 and 2) by the principal component analysis, the parameters A, P, W, L, and F0 were responsible for ∼36% of the Factor 1, while the E, F0, F1, and anterior-posterior symmetry (APS) contributed ∼27% to Factor 2. Both, CD and CH were associated with Factor 1 in the EH and ET regions and Factor 2 in the ST. Also, a well-defined difference between sperm heads collected from the ST and DD regions was observed by canonical analysis. The distribution of each chromatin alteration type was recorded. The proportion of normal sperm was lower (P < 0.05) in ST compared to other regions. Moreover, the chromatin influenced the morphometry and sperm heads with whole chromatin alteration type showed a smaller (P < 0.05) A, P, W, L, and E. In summary, the epididymal maturation is important for chromatin compaction and final morphometry of the sperm head. Also, the identification and quantification of the sperm chromatin condensation in different regions of reproductive tract can be used as potential biomarkers to predict the fertility in bulls.

Differential distribution of glycoconjugates in human reproductive tract

To study the distribution of glycoconjugates in the epithelia of various regions of the human female reproductive tract and to examine whether lectins can be used as specific probes to define cell populations in the human female reproductive tract. Nineteen fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled lectins, which recognize different oligosaccharide structures, were applied to frozen sections of human fallopian tubes (distal and proximal segments) and endometrium. The differential binding patterns of the lectins to the epithelia were evaluated under fluorescent microscopy. Four of 19 FITC-labeled lectins tested demonstrated distinct binding patterns along the reproductive tract. Arachis hypogaea (PNA) and Ricincus communis II selectively reacted with epithelial cells of endometrium and distal, but not proximal tube. In addition, PNA distinguished ciliated from secretory cells of the distal tube. Maclura pomifera binding followed a gradient of decreasing intensity from distal to proximal tube and was negative in the endometrium. Dolichos biflorus reacted exclusively with proximal tubal epithelium. Analysis of the FITC-lectin binding pattern and the sugar specificities indicate that the distribution of galactosyl residues varies among different regions of the reproductive tract, whereas glucosyl, mannosyl and fucosyl residues are more evenly distributed. The differential expression of glycoconjugates may be involved in the distinct biological function of each region in female reproductive tract.