ABSTRACT
Introduction: Extra cellular matrix [ECM] as an important component of cellular microenvironment has a key role in maintaining the differentiated state of cells. Effects of ECM on morphologic differentiation of epithelial cells including those from uterus and oviduct has been shown in past studies in which cellular and hormonal factors have been used in addition to ECM to maintain epithelial cell differentiation. Not much attention has been paid, in these studies; about the ultra structure of cultured cells specially those from oviduct
Objective: The purpose of present study is to cultivate the human uterine and oviduct epithelial cells under the same microenvironment [ECM Gel and DMEM/Ham's F12 medium] and to observe and compare ultra structural characteristics of the cultured cells by transmission electron microscopy [TEM]
Materials and Methods: For this purpose, uterine and oviduct tissue were obtained from patients undergoing total hysterectomy in Emam Khomeini Hospital. Epithelial cells, after being isolated, were cultured on plastic surfaces and the epithelial nature of the cells was confirmed using immunocytochemistry. Cells with epithelial nature were trypsinized and cultured on ECM gel. At the end ultra structure of cells in parallel with tissue were prepared for TEM
Results: Our results showed that the plastic cultured cells have no signs of differentiation and appeared as elongated spindle cell in sections, whereas those cultured on ECM gel had highly differentiated structure and observed as columnar in shape. In this term they were very similar to epithelial cells from tissue fragment. Epithelial cells of oviduct, cultured on ECM gel, were noticed ultra structurally very similar to that from uterus. The main structural difference existed in vivo state [the presence of abundance cilia on apical surface of oviduct epithelial cells] were not observed in vitro
Conclusion: As a conclusion, it seems that ECM gel by itself is enough to induce morphologic differentiation and structural polarization of epithelial cells. Ultra structurally different cells grows and acquires the same structure when being cultured under the same microenvironment