School of Medicine, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin (UCD), Dublin, Ireland.
School of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, LMU, Munich, Germany.
Sci Rep. 2019 Jul 26;9(1):10893. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-47431-x.
Salpingitis is a common cause for subfertility and infertility both in humans and animals. However, the effects of salpingitis on tubal function and reproductive success are largely unknown. Therefore we set out to investigate the effects of inflammation on sperm and oocyte transport and gameto-maternal interaction in the oviduct using the bovine as a model. For this purpose, oviducts revealing mild (n = 45), moderate (n = 55) and severe (n = 45) inflammation were obtained from cows immediately after slaughter and investigated by live cell imaging, histochemistry and scanning electron microscopy. Our studies showed that endometritis was always correlated with salpingitis. Moderate and severe inflammation caused a significant increase in the thickness of tubal folds (p < 0.05). Severe inflammation was characterized by luminal accumulations of mucus and glycoproteins, increased apoptosis, loss of tight junctions and shedding of tubal epithelial cells. The mean ciliary beat frequency (CBF) in the ampulla was significantly reduced as compared to the controls (p < 0.05). The higher the grade of inflammation, the lower was the CBF (p < 0.001). In severe inflammation, spermatozoa were stuck in mucus resulting in decreased sperm motility. Our results imply that tubal inflammation impairs proper tubal function and leads to reduced sperm fertilizing capacity.
输卵管炎是人类和动物不孕和不育的常见原因。然而，输卵管炎对输卵管功能和生殖成功的影响在很大程度上尚不清楚。因此，我们以牛为模型，研究炎症对输卵管中精子和卵子运输以及配子-母体相互作用的影响。为此，我们从屠宰后的奶牛中立即获得了轻度（n=45）、中度（n=55）和重度（n=45）输卵管炎的输卵管，并通过活细胞成像、组织化学和扫描电子显微镜进行了研究。我们的研究表明，子宫内膜炎总是与输卵管炎相关。中度和重度炎症导致输卵管褶皱的厚度显著增加（p<0.05）。重度炎症的特征是管腔内粘液和糖蛋白的积聚、凋亡增加、紧密连接丧失和输卵管上皮细胞脱落。与对照组相比，壶腹部的平均纤毛摆动频率（CBF）显著降低（p<0.05）。炎症程度越高，CBF 越低（p<0.001）。在严重的炎症中，精子被困在粘液中，导致精子活力降低。我们的结果表明，输卵管炎会损害输卵管的正常功能，导致精子受精能力下降。
