Vascular perfusion: a novel means of studying oviduct function

Abstract

An in situ preparation for the combined vascular and luminal perfusion of the rabbit oviduct has been developed. Medium 199, gassed with 5% CO2 in O2 and supplemented with heparin, antibiotics, and 2.5% wt/vol dialyzed bovine serum albumin was infused into the ovarian artery at a rate of 1 ml/min. Krebs Ringer bicarbonate medium was recirculated through the lumen at a rate of 50 microliter/min. The ovary was perfused together with the oviduct, and the preparation is viable for up to 3 h. Equal concentrations of pyruvate, lactate, glucose, and sucrose added to the vascular medium were transported at different rates into the lumen, as was a physiological mixture of amino acids. A proportion of the lactate entering the lumen was synthesized within the oviduct from vascular glucose. When glucose and pyruvate were omitted from the vascular medium, their appearance and that of lactate in the lumen was barely detectable, suggesting that these oviduct fluid components are mainly derived from the blood. The oviduct maintained a steady transmural potential difference of 5.9 mV (lumen negative). With vascular perfusion alone, oviduct fluid entered the oviduct lumen at a rate of 16.8 microliter/h. In oviducts taken from rabbits 3 days postovulation, there was a general decrease in the vascular to lumen flux of all nutrients measured. Preliminary work has shown that the preparation may be used to study ovulation, ovum pickup and transport, and fertilization.

Amino acid concentrations in fluids from the bovine oviduct and uterus and in ksom-based culture media

“…Similar findings of high GLY levels were previously reported in bovine [2], ovine [22,23], rabbit [24], mare [25] and the mouse [26]. Leese and Gray, [27] reported that the secretion rate of GLY into the rabbit oviduct lumen was the highest of the amino acids and it comprised 70% of the amino acid pool in blastocysts. Aside from being a building block for protein synthesis, GLY has been shown to be one of the most effective organic osmoregulators for the mouse embryo [28][29][30].…”

Morphological and functional characterization of bovine oviductal epithelial cell monolayers cultured on polarizing membranes

“…The morphology of cells cultured in 4-well plates is in accordance with that previously described by Van (Lodish et al, 1986 (Leese and Gray, 1985). …”

Concentrations of energy substrates in oviductal fluid and blood plasma of pigs during the peri-ovulatory period

“…However, the concen¬ tration of lactate in the pig oviduct was greater than that found in plasma in contrast to the findings of Holmdahl & Mastroianni (1965) for the rabbit oviduct. Leese & Gray (1985) investigated the source of these substrates in rabbit oviductal fluid, using a combined vascular and luminal perfusion system. They concluded that these substrates, except for lactate, are derived mainly from the blood.…”

“…Using the technique of vascular perfusion, Leese & Gray (1985) demonstrated that the glucose and pyruvate that appeared in the lumen originated from blood whereas most of the lactate was derived from glucose within the oviductal wall.…”