Department of Histology, Tissue Engineering Group, Faculty of Medicine, University of Granada, Spain.
Doctoral Program in Biomedicine, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
J Anat. 2018 Jul;233(1):73-85. doi: 10.1111/joa.12814. Epub 2018 Apr 16.
The uterine tube (UT) is an important and complex organ of the women's reproductive system. In general, the anatomy and basic histology of this organ are well-known. However, the composition and function of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the UT is still poorly understood. The ECM is a complex supramolecular material produced by cells which is commonly restricted to the basement membrane and interstitial spaces. ECM molecules play not only a structural role, they are also important for cell growth, survival and differentiation in all tissues. In this context, the aim of this study was to evaluate the deposition and distribution of type I and III collagens and proteoglycans (decorin, biglycan, fibromodulin and versican) in human UT during the follicular and luteal phases by using histochemical and immunohistochemical techniques. Our results showed a broad synthesis of collagens (I and III) in the stroma of the UT. The analysis by regions showed, in the mucosa, a specific distribution of versican and fibromodulin in the epithelial surface, whereas decorin and fibromodulin were observed in the lamina propria. Versican and decorin were found in the stroma of the muscular layer, whereas all studied proteoglycans were identified in the serosa. Curiously, biglycan was restricted to the wall of the blood vessels of the serosa and muscular layers. Furthermore, there was an immunoreaction for collagens, decorin, versican and fibromodulin in the UT peripheral nerves. The differential distribution of these ECM molecules in the different layers of the UT could be related to specific structural and/or biomechanical functions needed for the oviductal transport, successful fertilization and early embryogenesis. However, further molecular studies under physiological and pathological conditions are still needed to elucidate the specific role of each molecule in the human UT.
输卵管（UT）是女性生殖系统的一个重要且复杂的器官。一般来说，这个器官的解剖结构和基本组织学已为人熟知。然而，输卵管外基质（ECM）的组成和功能仍知之甚少。ECM 是一种由细胞产生的复杂超分子物质，通常局限于基底膜和间质空间。ECM 分子不仅具有结构作用，而且对所有组织中的细胞生长、存活和分化也很重要。在这种情况下，本研究的目的是使用组织化学和免疫组织化学技术评估在卵泡期和黄体期人类输卵管中外基质（I 型和 III 型胶原蛋白和蛋白聚糖（饰胶蛋白聚糖、biglycan、纤连蛋白和 versican）的沉积和分布。我们的结果显示输卵管间质中广泛合成胶原蛋白（I 型和 III 型）。按区域分析显示，在黏膜中，versican 和纤连蛋白在表面上皮中有特定分布，而饰胶蛋白聚糖和纤连蛋白则存在于固有层中。versican 和饰胶蛋白聚糖存在于肌层的基质中，而所有研究的蛋白聚糖都存在于浆膜中。有趣的是，biglycan 局限于浆膜和肌层血管壁。此外，在输卵管周围神经中也发现了胶原蛋白、饰胶蛋白聚糖、versican 和纤连蛋白的免疫反应。这些 ECM 分子在输卵管不同层中的差异分布可能与输卵管运输、成功受精和早期胚胎发生所需的特定结构和/或生物力学功能有关。然而，仍需要在生理和病理条件下进行进一步的分子研究，以阐明每个分子在人类输卵管中的特定作用。
