Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rsci

SAGETRACK

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Löfman, C.
Right arrow Articles by Brännström, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Löfman, C.
Right arrow Articles by Zackrisson, U.
Right arrow Articles by Mikuni, M.
Right arrow Articles by Block, M.
Right arrow Articles by Janson, P. O.
Right arrow Articles by Brännström, M.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, Vol. 9, No. 6, 379-385 (2002)
DOI: 10.1177/107155760200900609

A Method for Longitudinal Microscopic In Vivo Examinations of Morphology, Vascularity, and Motility in the Ovary and the Oviduct of the Rat

C. Löfman, MD

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Göteborg University, Göteborg; Biological Microscopy Unit, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden carlo{at}promedia.nu

U. Zackrisson, MD, PhD

M. Mikuni, MD, PhD

M. Block, PhD

P. O. Janson, MD, PhD

M. Brännström, MD, PhD

Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Göteborg University, Göteborg; Biological Microscopy Unit, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

Objective: We developed an in vivo model to enable observation of dynamic changes in morphology, vascularity, and motility of the rat adnexa.

Methods: Immature Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 16) were primed with equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG; 15 IU) followed by human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG; 15 IU) 48 hours later to induce ovulation. The experiments were performed during prolonged (up to 12 hours) thiobarbiturate anesthesia. During laparotony the periovarian bursa was retracted, whereafter the oviductal-ovarian complex was submerged into an organ chamber. Water immersion lenses (4x-40x; final magnification up to 810x) enabled detailed observations that were recorded on Beta-SP videotape.

Results: Capillary flow was monitored easily. At the level of the follicle, top blood flow velocity variations (8-10 per minute) were observed in the microvasculature. Ovulations were followed in detail, and oocyte-cumulus complexes were seen later in the oviductal ampulla. Regular contractions in the oviduct were synchronous with the oocyte-cumulus complexes moving back and forth in the oviductal lumen over a distance of about 900 µm. These contractions were more frequent (13-16 per minute) in the postovulatory phase compared with the time before ovulation (9-10 per minute). The oviductal contractions were initiated alternately from either end of the ampulla and were accompanied by a denudation of the oocytes, with a stream of cumulus cells seen moving in an abovarian direction in between conractions.

Conclusion: High-magnification video recording in vivo was useful for capturing microcirculatory events as well as structural and functional changes of the ovary and the oviduct.

Key Words: Intravital microscopy • vascularity • rat • ovary • oviduct


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?