Pathology of ovary, uterus, vagina and gonadotrophs of female mice fed on Zn-deficient diet.

Dietary Zn-deficiency in mature female mice for 6 weeks caused a retardation of ovarian growth characterized by lack of vesicular and Grafian follicles, degenerated corpus luteum, distorted cell membranes of granulosa cells with pycnotic nuclei, poor development of theca interna, inordinate accumulation of sudanophilic granules in theca interna and interstitial cells. The vagina and uterus did not exhibit cyclic changes in their cytoarchitecture as a result of the cessation of estrous cycle after 6 weeks of dietary treatment. They displayed wide spread degenerative changes in their myometrial and endometrial layers. The uterine glands appeared collapsed with little or no secretion. The vagina lacked cornification. Their gonadotrophs reacted positive to PAS, identical to the control group observed at diestrous stage. However, they did not display a negative reaction, characteristic of the gonadotrophs at estrous stage of the control group, examined even at an interval of 1 day for 6 days in succession. These results point towards the suspension of steroidogenesis inspite of intact gonadotrophs under Zn-deficiency condition.