Is there a mucosal immune system associated with the mammalian oviduct?
Biol. Res
;
31(4): 329-38, 1998. ilus
Artigo
em Inglês
| LILACS
| ID: lil-226033
RESUMO
The oviduct is a key component of the reproductive system where essential stages such as spermatozoa capacitation, fertilization and early embryo development take place. Recently, an additional role for the entire female reproductive tract has emerged with important implications for our understanding and management of reproductive health, namely, its role in mounting local immune responses against microbial pathogens. Most of the evidence about mucosal immune responses in the female reproductive tract is related to the vagina, with less information available for the uterus. The less known segment in this regard is the oviduct, which prompted us to review and summarize the current state of knowledge on the immune system at the level of the mammalian oviduct. A comprehensive search was conducted in Medline and -for the last two years- also in Current Contents. Results demonstrate that the mammalian oviduct is endowed with many of the elements that characterize a mucosal immune system. However, there are gaps in our knowledge that, in addition to important interspecies differences, make it essential to explore further some fundamental questions regarding this system.
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Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Assunto principal:
Tubas Uterinas
Tipo de estudo:
Fatores de risco
Limite:
Animais
/
Feminino
/
Humanos
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Biol. Res
Assunto da revista:
Biologia
Ano de publicação:
1998
Tipo de documento:
Artigo
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