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Seraj H, Nazari MA, Atai AA, Amanpour S, Azadi M. A Review: Biomechanical Aspects of the Fallopian Tube Relevant to its Function in Fertility. Reprod Sci 2024; 31:1456-1485. [PMID: 38472710 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-024-01479-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024]
Abstract
The fallopian tube (FT) plays a crucial role in the reproductive process by providing an ideal biomechanical and biochemical environment for fertilization and early embryo development. Despite its importance, the biomechanical functions of the FT that originate from its morphological aspects, and ultrastructural aspects, as well as the mechanical properties of FT, have not been studied nor used sufficiently, which limits the understanding of fertilization, mechanotrasduction, and mechanobiology during embryo development, as well as the replication of the FT in laboratory settings for infertility treatments. This paper reviews and revives valuable information on human FT reported in medical literature in the past five decades relevant to the biomechanical aspects of FT. In this review, we summarized the current state of knowledge concerning the morphological, ultrastructural aspects, and mechanical properties of the human FT. We also investigate the potential arising from a thorough consideration of the biomechanical functions and exploring often neglected mechanical aspects. Our investigation encompasses both macroscopic measurements (such as length, diameter, and thickness) and microscopic measurements (including the height of epithelial cells, the percentage of ciliated cells, cilia structure, and ciliary beat frequency). Our primary focus has been on healthy women of reproductive age. We have examined various measurement techniques, encompassing conventional metrology, 2D histological data as well as new spatial measurement techniques such as micro-CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hasan Seraj
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Ali Nazari
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
- Department of Speech and Cognition, CNRS UMR 5216, Grenoble Institute of Technology, Grenoble, France.
| | - Ali Asghar Atai
- School of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
| | - Saeid Amanpour
- Vali-E-Asr Reproductive Health Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mojtaba Azadi
- School of Engineering, College of Science and Engineering, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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The Expression of Cold-Inducible RNA-Binding Protein mRNA in Sow Genital Tract Is Modulated by Natural Mating, But Not by Seminal Plasma. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21155333. [PMID: 32727091 PMCID: PMC7432381 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21155333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), some of them induced by transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels, are crucial regulators of RNA function that can contribute to reproductive pathogenesis, including inflammation and immune dysfunction. This study aimed to reveal the influence of spermatozoa, seminal plasma, or natural mating on mRNA expression of RBPs and TRP ion channels in different segments of the internal genital tract of oestrous, preovulatory sows. Particularly, we focused on mRNA expression changes of the cold-inducible proteins (CIPs) and related TRP channels. Pre-ovulatory sows were naturally mated (NM) or cervically infused with semen (Semen-AI) or sperm-free seminal plasma either from the entire ejaculate (SP-TOTAL) or the sperm-rich fraction (SP-AI). Samples (cervix to infundibulum) were collected by laparotomy under general anaesthesia for transcriptomic analysis (GeneChip® Porcine Gene 1.0 ST Array) 24 h after treatments. The NM treatment induced most of the mRNA expression changes, compared to Semen-AI, SP-AI, and SP-TOTAL treatments including unique significative changes in CIRBP, RBM11, RBM15B, RBMS1, TRPC1, TRPC4, TRPC7, and TRPM8. The findings on the differential mRNA expression on RBPs and TRP ion channels, especially to CIPs and related TRP ion channels, suggest that spermatozoa and seminal plasma differentially modulated both protein families during the preovulatory phase, probably related to a still unknown early signalling mechanism in the sow reproductive tract.
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Ruiz-Conca M, Gardela J, Martínez CA, Wright D, López-Bejar M, Rodríguez-Martínez H, Álvarez-Rodríguez M. Natural Mating Differentially Triggers Expression of Glucocorticoid Receptor (NR3C1)-Related Genes in the Preovulatory Porcine Female Reproductive Tract. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21124437. [PMID: 32580389 PMCID: PMC7352215 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Mating initiates dynamic modifications of gene transcription in the female reproductive tract, preparing the female for fertilization and pregnancy. Glucocorticoid signaling is essential for the homeostasis of mammalian physiological functions. This complex glucocorticoid regulation is mediated through the glucocorticoid receptor, also known as nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 (NR3C1/GR) and related genes, like 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (HSD11Bs) and the FK506-binding immunophilins, FKBP5 and FKBP4. This study tested the transcriptome changes in NR3C1/GR regulation in response to natural mating and/or cervical deposition of the sperm-peak ejaculate fraction collected using the gloved-hand method (semen or only its seminal plasma), in the preovulatory pig reproductive tract (cervix to infundibulum, 24 h after mating/insemination/infusion treatments). Porcine cDNA microarrays revealed 22 NR3C1-related transcripts, and changes in gene expression were triggered by all treatments, with natural mating showing the largest differences, including NR3C1, FKBP5, FKBP4, hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1 and 2 (HSD11B1, HSD11B2), and the signal transducer and activator of transcription 5A (STAT5A). Our data suggest that natural mating induces expression changes that might promote a reduction of the cortisol action in the oviductal sperm reservoir. Together with the STAT-mediated downregulation of cytokine immune actions, this reduction may prevent harmful effects by promoting tolerance towards the spermatozoa stored in the oviduct and perhaps elicit spermatozoa activation and detachment after ovulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mateo Ruiz-Conca
- Department Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/OG, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain;
| | - Jaume Gardela
- Department Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/OG, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain;
| | - Cristina Alicia Martínez
- Department Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/OG, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
| | - Dominic Wright
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Faculty of Science and Engineering; Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden;
| | - Manel López-Bejar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain;
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
| | - Heriberto Rodríguez-Martínez
- Department Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/OG, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
| | - Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez
- Department Biomedical and Clinical Sciences (BKV), BKH/OG, Linköping University, 58185 Linköping, Sweden; (M.R.-C.); (J.G.); (C.A.M.); (H.R.-M.)
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +46-(0)72942-7883
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Parada-Bustamante A, Oróstica ML, Reuquen P, Zuñiga LM, Cardenas H, Orihuela PA. The role of mating in oviduct biology. Mol Reprod Dev 2018; 83:875-883. [PMID: 27371809 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.22674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Accepted: 06/29/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The oviduct connects the ovary to the uterus, and is subject to changes that influence gamete transport, fertilization, and early embryo development. The ovarian steroids estradiol and progesterone are largely responsible for regulating oviduct function, although mating signals also affect the female reproductive tract, both indirectly, through sensory stimulation, and directly, through contact with seminal plasma or spermatozoa. The resulting alterations in gene and protein expression help establish a microenvironment that is appropriate for sperm storage and selection, embryo development, and gamete transport. Mating may also induce the switch from a non-genomic to a genomic pathway of estradiol-accelerated oviduct egg transport, reflecting a novel example of the functional plasticity in well-differentiated cells. This review highlights the physiological relevance of various aspects of mating to oviduct biology and reproductive success. Expanding our knowledge of the mating-associated molecular and cellular events in oviduct cells would undoubtedly facilitate new therapeutic strategies to treat infertility attributable to oviduct pathologies. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 875-883, 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María L Oróstica
- Laboratorio de Inmunología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Centro Para el Desarrollo en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología-CEDENNA, Santiago, Chile
| | - Patricia Reuquen
- Laboratorio de Inmunología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Centro Para el Desarrollo en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología-CEDENNA, Santiago, Chile
| | - Lidia M Zuñiga
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Antofagasta, Universidad de Antofagasta, Antofagasta, Chile
| | - Hugo Cardenas
- Laboratorio de Inmunología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Centro Para el Desarrollo en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología-CEDENNA, Santiago, Chile
| | - Pedro A Orihuela
- Laboratorio de Inmunología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Química y Biología, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Santiago, Chile. .,Centro Para el Desarrollo en Nanociencia y Nanotecnología-CEDENNA, Santiago, Chile.
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