Ovum transport in the rat oviductal ampulla in the absence of muscle contractility.
Ovum transport in mammalian oviducts involves two main effectors: ciliary motility and muscle contractility. To study the relative contribution of cilia to ovum transport in the rat, we blocked smooth muscle activity with isoproterenol, a beta-adrenergic agonist, and measured transport rates of surrogate ova in situ. Transport rates before isoproterenol administration were 0.04 mm/s in the cephalic ampulla and 0.03 mm/s in the caudal ampulla; rates were unchanged after administration of isoproterenol. To determine if isoproterenol affected ciliary activity, we measured ciliary beat frequency with laser-scattering spectroscopy over the effective isoproterenol dosage. Isoproterenol did not cause a significant change in ciliary beat frequency. Our results show that in the rat oviductal ampulla, ciliary motion is capable of transporting ova in the absence of muscle contractility.
Halbert
S A
SA
Center for Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle 98195.
Becker
D R
DR
Szal
S E
SE
D000818:Animals; D002923:Cilia / Q000187:drug effects; D005187:Fallopian Tubes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007545:Isoproterenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects; D010066:Ovum Transport / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D007545:Isoproterenol