Oviduct Secretion in the Cow

Abstract

Little is known regarding the physiological rôle of oviduct fluid on ova and spermatozoa in the reproductive tract. VanDemark (1958) and Bishop (1961) suggested that luminal fluids may be an important transport and nutrient medium for the gametes; others felt that oviduct secretions influenced sperm activity (Olds & VanDemark, 1957a) or aided the capacitation process (Austin, 1951: Chang, 1951. Oviduct fluid has been collected from several species by ligation of portions of the genital tract (Blandau, Jensen & Rumery, 1958), flushing portions of the tract (Heap, 1962), expressing the contents of tracts after slaughter (Olds & VanDemark, 1957b), and cannulation of portions of the tract in living animals (Clewe & Mastroianni, 1960;Restall, 1966). To our knowledge, oviduct secretion has never been continuously collected throughout the oestrous cycle and an attempt was made to determine whether the volume, protein content, or glucose content of oviduct fluid varied during the oestrous cycle.Cows of small size were chosen for this experiment because the reproductive tract was more accessible at surgery. Surgery was performed at mid-cycle, either under local anaesthesia (infusion of Xylocaine), or general anaesthesia (Equithesin). In both cases, an incision was made in the flank area and the uterus and oviduct were drawn as close as possible to the opening. The ovarian end of the oviduct was located and one end of a 60-cm long silastic cannula (ID 0-10 cm, OD 0-20 cm) was inserted to a depth of 15 mm. Two collars were placed on the end of the cannula, which was held in place by two Supramid sutures ; the uterine end of the oviduct was ligated with one Supramid suture to prevent flow of oviduct fluid into the uterus. A small amount of air was injec¬ ted into the cannula, which was considered patent if the oviduct distended. The cannula was then brought out through the incision and the animal was given 1 million units of procaine penicillin in oil daily for 4 days.The collection device was contained in a 3-x4-in. aluminium cassette attached to the animal with four sutures. The cannula was inserted through a plastic disc at the surface of the skin and several sutures tied around it to prevent the cannula from slipping through the plastic disc and into the body cavity. The cannula entered a plastic vial within the cassette and the vial was changed daily. The fluid was left in the vial and frozen ; the volumes were later measured with a 1-ml tuberculin syringe. For analysis, the fluid was pooled on a 4-day basis with respect to oestrus, e.g. a sample labelled +1 would include fluid collected on the 1st day of oestrus 549

Proteins in the Luminal Fluid From the Bovine Oviduct

“…Carlson et al (1970) found protein concentrations of 0-083 and 0-158 g/100 ml in oviducal fluids from two cows, but Stanke et al (1974) reported values of 4-0 to 5-2 g/100 ml. In our studies, no significant variation in protein concentration of the secretion at different stages of the oestrous cycle was detected and this is in accord with the results of other workers (Restall & Wales, 1966;Perkins & Goode, 1966;Carlson et al, 1970;Stanke étal., 1974).…”

“…It is now well established that the volume of fluid secreted by the oviduct of ruminants undergoes a cyclic variation, maximum amounts being produced during oestrus and the volume decreasing to small amounts during the progestational phase (cow: Carlson et al, 1970;Stanke et al, 1974; sheep: Black, Duby & Riesen, 1963;Perkins, Goode, Wilder & Henson, 1965;Iritani, Gomes & VanDemark, 1969;Bellvé & McDonald, 1970 Perkins & Goode (1966) reported a mean value of 3-02 g/100 ml. Carlson et al (1970) found protein concentrations of 0-083 and 0-158 g/100 ml in oviducal fluids from two cows, but Stanke et al (1974) reported values of 4-0 to 5-2 g/100 ml.…”

“…Apart from the work of Carlson, Black & Howe (1970) and a recent short communication by Stanke, Sikes, DeYoung & Tumbleson (1974), bovine oviducal fluid has received little attention. In the present study, we report on the macromolecular components of bovine oviducal fluid with particular em¬ phasis on components which are different from those in the serum.…”

Mammalian sperm metabolism: oxygen and sugar, friend and foe

“…Fructose in the semen would have the same effect, thus inhibiting capacitation until the fructose had been diluted out in the cow's reproductive tract. Glucose inhibition of capacitation does not occur in the cow's oviduct because the glucose concentration in the oviductal lumen is only 50-100 µM (Carlson et al, 1970), a concentration at which the glycolysis rate is negligible. This example further supports the concept that it is the oviductal lumen of the female whose contents determine the metabolic pathway driving motility of mammalian sperm in vivo.…”

Carbohydrates and fertilization in animals

“…Glucose also inhibited heparin-induced intracellular alkalinization. The concentrations of glucose in typical culture medium (5 mM) are much higher than those in the bovine oviduct, which contains less than 100 p, M (Carlson et al, 1970) so inhibition of capacitation by glucose is unlikely in vivo.…”