A stochastic model for oviductal egg transport.
A mathematical description of ovum transport based on Langevin's diffusion equation is presented. The proposed model is deduced from qualitative features of this phenomenon, not induced from numerical fitting of experimental data. We demonstrate that egg transport in the ampulla of the rabbit oviduct can be represented as a one-dimensional random walk in a field of external force. The application of the model to describe isthmic ovum and sperm transport on the basis of simple random walk process is also discussed. The present formulation identifies and characterizes the forces involved in the motions of the ovum and predicts specific alternatives for physiological regulation of egg transport in the oviduct.
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D008433:Mathematics; D008954:Models, Biological; D010057:Oviducts / Q000502:physiology*; D010066:Ovum Transport; D011817:Rabbits