Leucocytes in the Luminal Epithelium of the Mouse Uterus at Implantation

Abstract

Observations were made on the infiltration of leucocytes into the luminal epithelium of the mouse uterus at the time of implantation.While the blastocyst was still surrounded by the zona pellucida there were very few leucocytes in the epithelium. After loss of the zona pellucida, 75% of the blastocysts had one or more leucocytes/1-\g=m\m section in the epithelial layer surrounding them. The presence of thorotrast particles in the leucocytes showed almost all of these cells to be phagocytic. They were always found low in the epithelial layer, near the basement membrane, and with one exception (possibly an abnormal animal) were never seen in the uterine lumen. This situation contrasts with that seen in the IUD-bearing mouse, in which there is extensive infiltration of the epithelium and of the lumen by leucocytes.

Immunoglobulin and complement receptor-bearing cells in cultures of mouse decidual tissue

“…were lower but less variable than in the earlier cultures, possibly indicating that the rosetting cells had a more stable structural role than merely being part of a cellular infiltrate as is perhaps likely at 4-5 days p.c. Leucocytic infiltration of the early implantation site in mice has been reported (Smith & Wilson, 1974) and such infiltrating cells could be the source of the EA-RFC seen in the present study at 4 days p.c. Alternatively, some of the EA-RFC might be related to precursors of the granulated metrial gland cells (Smith, 1966;Stewart & Peel, 1978).…”

Infiltration of neutrophil polymorphonuclear leucocytes into the endometrial stroma at the time of implantation of ova and the initiation of the oil decidual cell reaction in mice

“…Although there have been several reports of the presence of polymorphs in the endometrium during implantation of blastocysts (Lobel et ai, 1967;Enders & Schlafke, 1967;Potts, 1968;Smith & Wilson, 1974), there has been no systematic quantitative investigation. In the present study we have examined the uterus of the mouse for evidence of polymorph invasion during implantation of blastocysts and during the initiation of the artificial implantation reaction to oil.…”

Epithelial Cell Death in the Oil-Induced Decidual Reaction of the Pseudopregnant Mouse: An Ultrastructural Study

“…The fact that antimesometrial epithelial breakdown in the implantation chamber can occur without the presence of a blastocyst has led previous workers to emphasize that the breakdown is due to an autolytic process inherent in the decidual reaction rather than to trophoblast activity (Krehbiel, 1937;Finn & Hinchliffe, 1964;Finn, 1971 A further difference from normal pregnancy is that, beginning at 19 hr after oil instillation, areas of epithelial deterioration are characterized by massive infiltration of polymorphonuclear leucocytes, monocytes and macrophages through the epithelium into the lumen. In normal pregnancy, polymorpho-nuclear leucocytes appear in smaller numbers in deteriorating epithelium, but they do not enter the lumen (Smith & Wilson, 1974b). These scavenging cells in the oil induced-reaction presumably play the role of the trophoblast cells in normal pregnancy in ingesting and digesting the deteriorating epithelium.…”