Pacey A A, Freeman S L, England G C
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jessop Hospital for Women, University of Sheffield.
Theriogenology. 2000 Jul 1;54(1):109-18. doi: 10.1016/S0093-691X(00)00329-0.
There is scant information about the storage of spermatozoa within the reproductive tract of the bitch. In several species the uterine tube plays a significant role in sperm storage. The present study was performed to investigate the interaction between spermatozoa and the epithelium of the uterine tube, in particular how this interaction might influence the flagellar activity of spermatozoa in relation to the stage of the estrous cycle. Epithelium was harvested from uterine tubes of 24 bitches at various stages of the estrous cycle (estrus, luteal phase or anestrus), and cultured with pooled spermatozoa collected from 6 dogs. Spermatozoa rapidly bound to the epithelial surface by their heads and the majority of attached spermatozoa were motile. The intimate association between spermatozoa and the uterine tube epithelium maintained motility in a manner that was related to the stage of the estrous cycle. Flagellar activity was significantly greater for spermatozoa bound to estrous epithelium than epithelium from the luteal phase or anestrus. On average, approximately 10% of spermatozoa that were attached to the uterine tube epithelium of estrous bitches retained their flagellar activity for 48 h after innoculation. There was no apparent influence of the region of the uterine tube on this effect. These findings suggest that the uterine tube may form a functional spermatozoal reservoir in the bitch.
关于母犬生殖道内精子储存的信息很少。在一些物种中，输卵管在精子储存中起着重要作用。本研究旨在探讨精子与输卵管上皮之间的相互作用，特别是这种相互作用如何影响与发情周期阶段相关的精子鞭毛活动。从处于发情周期不同阶段（发情期、黄体期或乏情期）的24只母犬的输卵管中采集上皮，并与从6只犬收集的混合精子一起培养。精子通过头部迅速与上皮表面结合，大多数附着的精子具有运动能力。精子与输卵管上皮之间的紧密结合以与发情周期阶段相关的方式维持运动能力。与黄体期或乏情期的上皮相比，与发情期上皮结合的精子的鞭毛活动明显更强。平均而言，附着在发情期母犬输卵管上皮上的精子中，约有10%在接种后48小时仍保持其鞭毛活动。输卵管区域对这种效应没有明显影响。这些发现表明，输卵管可能在母犬体内形成一个功能性的精子储存库。
