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Sperm Transport in the Reproductive Tract of the Female Rabbit: II. The Sustained Phase of Transport

Sperm Transport in the Reproductive Tract of the Female Rabbit: II. The Sustained Phase of Transport Abstract The location of spermatozoa in the reproductive tract of the female rabbit was determined at 1.5, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 16 h post coitum (p.c.). The posterior vagina, cervix, uterus, 5 regions of the oviduct and the ovarian surface were examined, the latter for evidence of sperm passage to the peritoneal cavity. The viability of spermatozoa recovered from the tract was assessed by counting the proportion of motile sperm and immotile cells with visibly disrupted head membranes. Sperm transport in the female rabbit proceeds by a sequential buildup of cells in ascending regions of the tract. The cervix may not be the principal site of sperm storage in the rabbit, since the viability of spermatozoa in the endocervical lumen is lower than in either the vagina or uterus. The tubal isthmus rather than the uterotubal junction, is the most important region restricting sperm ascent to the site of fertilization. Although a few sperm accumulate in the isthmus by 1.5 h p.c., there is no migration of sperm beyond the isthmus until 6 h p.c. and throughout sperm transport, more than 95% of the isthmic sperm population remain within 2 cm of the uterotubal junction. The majority of sperm reaching the site of fertilization ascend during the periovulation period and in many cases, after the arrival of the ova. The final ascent of spermatozoa to the site of fertilization appears to involve the en masse migration of a limited number of cells from the lower isthmus to the upper oviduct and peritoneal cavity. This transtubal migration occurs as a single event or as a series of events of limited duration which have ended by the time fertilization is completed. This content is only available as a PDF. Author notes 1 This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant HD09215 and by a grant from the Ford Foundation. Copyright © 1978 by The Society for the Study of Reproduction http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Biology of Reproduction Oxford University Press

Sperm Transport in the Reproductive Tract of the Female Rabbit: II. The Sustained Phase of Transport

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References (50)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
Copyright © 1978 by The Society for the Study of Reproduction
ISSN
0006-3363
eISSN
1529-7268
DOI
10.1095/biolreprod19.1.115
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Abstract The location of spermatozoa in the reproductive tract of the female rabbit was determined at 1.5, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 16 h post coitum (p.c.). The posterior vagina, cervix, uterus, 5 regions of the oviduct and the ovarian surface were examined, the latter for evidence of sperm passage to the peritoneal cavity. The viability of spermatozoa recovered from the tract was assessed by counting the proportion of motile sperm and immotile cells with visibly disrupted head membranes. Sperm transport in the female rabbit proceeds by a sequential buildup of cells in ascending regions of the tract. The cervix may not be the principal site of sperm storage in the rabbit, since the viability of spermatozoa in the endocervical lumen is lower than in either the vagina or uterus. The tubal isthmus rather than the uterotubal junction, is the most important region restricting sperm ascent to the site of fertilization. Although a few sperm accumulate in the isthmus by 1.5 h p.c., there is no migration of sperm beyond the isthmus until 6 h p.c. and throughout sperm transport, more than 95% of the isthmic sperm population remain within 2 cm of the uterotubal junction. The majority of sperm reaching the site of fertilization ascend during the periovulation period and in many cases, after the arrival of the ova. The final ascent of spermatozoa to the site of fertilization appears to involve the en masse migration of a limited number of cells from the lower isthmus to the upper oviduct and peritoneal cavity. This transtubal migration occurs as a single event or as a series of events of limited duration which have ended by the time fertilization is completed. This content is only available as a PDF. Author notes 1 This research was supported by National Institutes of Health Grant HD09215 and by a grant from the Ford Foundation. Copyright © 1978 by The Society for the Study of Reproduction

Journal

Biology of Reproduction – Oxford University Press

Published: Aug 1, 1978

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