Summary
The epithelium of the bovine oviduct was studied with respect to its ultrastructural organization and histochemical features.
The ciliated cells seem to undergo no changes during the sexual cycle. The nucleus is regular, the mitochondria are small and frequent. Particles resembling lysosomes are present. Except for the free surface, containing alkaline phosphatase, these cells do not present any particular histochemical characteristics.
The secretory cells contain more ribonucleic acid than the ciliated cells, and the endoplasmic reticulum is better developed. This also shows changes correlated with the sexual phases, thus the cisternae are much larger during the follicular phase than during the luteal phase. The nucleus is deeply fissured, the cisternae of the ergastoplasm dipping into these fissures. The mitochondria are larger and less frequent than in the ciliated cells. Secretion granules are frequently present. They are basophilic and periodic acid-Schiff reactive. They seem not to contain glycogen. The granules undergo characteristic changes and are subsequently discharged. This process is not paralleled by any changes in the histochemical reactions studied.
Tests for the demonstration of lipids, non-specific esterase, and acid phosphatase did not give information that could be correlated to the ultrastructural organization.
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This investigation was supported by a grant from the foundation “Therése och Johan Anderssons Minne”
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Björkman, N., Fredricsson, B. The bovine oviduct epithelium and its secretory process as studied with the electron microscope and histochemical tests. Z. Zellforsch. 55, 500–513 (1961). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00325415
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00325415