CYCLIC VARIATIONS OF SURFACE STRUCTURE IN THE HUMAN OVIDUCTAL EPITHELIUM DURING THE MENSTRUAL CYCLE / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Oviducts were removed from 12 reproductive women at specific times duringthe menstrual cycle.The surface structure of oviductal epithelium have mainlyexamined by scanning electron microscopy.At proliferative stage,the growing ciliaand microvilli were indeed detected.The typical pattern at midcycle was that thecilia and microvilli had well developed and reached their full length.At secretorystage,however,ciliation was much less extensive than that at midcycle.The surfacephenomenon of some cilia had lost from ciliated cells but some still retained.Nonciliated cells had more evident changes than ciliated cells.At early secretory stage,the cobblestone-like nonciliated cells bulged into the lumen.Then,the centerof these cells exhibited concave with some cytoplasmic buds which were probably asrepresentation of their apocrine secretory activity.At late secretory stage,manynonciliated cells showed cobblestone-like bulged into the lumen again.The epithe-lium also showed a tiny minority small cells with abundant and well developedmicrovilli like those at proliferative stage.The cyclic changes in the oviductalepithelium were very pronounced in the fimbriae and infundibulum,less distinct inthe ampulla and very slight in the isthmus.