Induction of abnormal epithelial changes by estrogen in neonatal mouse vaginal transplants

Adenosis occurred in transplanted C57BL and BALB/c mice Müllerian-derived reproductive tract regions, cervix, and/or fornix (FX), and middle vagina but never in the urogenital sinus-derived portion of the vagina, after a 1-mo exposure to endogenous ovarian hormones or exogenous estradiol (E2). Grafts in ovariectomized hosts did not exhibit adenosis, confirming its dependence on estrogen. C57BL FX and midvaginal transplants from 1-, 3-, and 5-day-old donors but not from 7- or 10-day-old donors developed adenosis, indicating a critical period before day 6. Prolonged E2 exposure (to 2 mo) decreased the adenosis incidence observed in the C57BL FX group but not in midvaginal transplants. Progesterone added during the second half of transplantation to continuing exogenous E2 prevented this reduction in the FX group; however, adenosis incidence in the similarly treated middle vagina group was less than that observed after 1 or 2 mo of E2 treatment alone. Progesterone present throughout the 2-mo transplantation period did not significantly affect adenosis incidence induced by 2-mo exposure of midvaginal or FX grafts to E2 alone. Changes suggestive of squamous cell carcinoma were found in a few BALB/c midvaginal grafts after E2 exposure for 1 mo and in some C57BL midvaginal and FX grafts after E2 and progesterone exposure for 2 mo.

Vaginal cuff cutaneous ureterostomy as a model for split renal function study in dog

To protect ureteral stoma from necrosis and stenosis in cutaneous ureterostomy, an autograft of the entire vaginal wall to the canine abdomen was investigated. The patency of the ureteral stoma was well preserved for the observation period with an average of 9.4 months in 20 of 29 dogs. A combination of unilateral vaginal cuff cutaneous ureterostomy with bladder urine collection for the contralateral kidney is a useful experimental model for split renal function study. The value of this model has been shown by clearance study using the separate urine obtained from each kidney.

Construction of female urethra from vaginal wall and a perineal flap

Five incontinent girls between 4 and 18 years old were made continent by constructing in each case a long extension of the urethra up to the clitoris. Previous operations at the proximal end of the urethra, to narrow the bladder neck, had not achieved continence. Lengthening the urethra was accomplished by tubularizing the anterior vaginal wall and covering that with a generous pedicle flap from the perineum. The base of the pedicle flap was divided later, restoring the introitus to a normal appearance. Of the 5 patients 3 had the underlying problem of ureteral ectopia with congenital deficiency of the urethra and the bladder neck, 1 had a marked degree of female hypospadias with absence of the distal urethra and in 1 the cause for incontinence was extensive internal urethrotomy during early childhood. This procedure should be applicable to certain difficult cases of incontinence in pediatric and adult patients.

Additional effects of postpuberal estrogen injections on the vaginal epithelium in neonatally estrogenized mice

In the ovariectomized mice given 10 injections of 100 micrograms 17 beta-estradiol at intervals of 2 weeks from 60 days of age, the vaginal epithelium was atrophic when killed more than 2 months after the last injection. If mice given 3 daily injections of 20 micrograms 17 beta-estradiol from the day of birth were similarly treated with estradiol after postpuberal ovariectomy, the vaginal epithelium was stratified and hyperplastic at autopsy performed more than 2 months later. These changes in the epithelium persisted for at least 30 days after transplantation of the vaginae to normal ovariectomized hosts. Neonatal treatments only did not produce such persistent vaginal changes. In view of these results, additional effects of neonatal and postpuberal injections of estrogen on the vaginal epithelium are evident. However, effects of such neonatal and postpuberal injections of estrogen might be transient on the uterine epithelium, since abnormal proliferation was not observed in it.

Regulation of the bacterial microflora of the vagina in cyclic female rats

The bacterial microflora was examined in the vagina of cyclic female rats kept under normal laboratory conditions. Large variations occurred during the cycle with high numbers of bacteria (10(5)-10(8) per vagina) during proestrus and estrus and low numbers (10(1)-10(4) per vagina) during the diestrus period. Histological analysis of in situ vaginal tissue and transplanted vaginal tissue revealed an association of high bacterial numbers with the presence of large amounts of cellular debris in the vaginal lumen during the period of epithelial keratinization. Absence of phagocytosis in leucocytes at mestestrus suggested that leucocytes did not play an active role in reduction of bacterial numbers between estrus and metestrus. Accurate measurement of the pH in the vaginal lumen failed to reveal differences which could explain the reduction in bacterial numbers between estrus and metestrus. The cyclic changes in the bacterial population-consisting of species which are normally present in the intestinal flora-- seem to be controlled by cyclic changes in the amounts of cellular debris in the vaginal lumen.

The content of a specific cell product in the vaginal epithelium of normal and neonatally estrogenized mice: its dependence on an estradiol-prolactin interaction

The amount of an immunological marker (CVA) in mucified cells of the mouse vaginal epithelium was quantified by a mixed hemagglutination technique for tissue sections. Immature mice, adult mice which had been estrogenized neonatally (5 mug diethylstilbestrol daily for the first five days after birth), and adult non-estrogenized mice were studied. All adult animals were castrated 7-10 days before starting the experiments. Injections of 5 mug estradiol-17beta (48 and 24 h before killing the animals) increased the amount of CVA in all three groups of animals, but most markedly in the neonatally estrogenized mice. The amount of CVA found following estradiol treatment was decreased in adult animals injected with the ergot alkaloid CB154 (0.5 mg twice daily for 6 days) in addition to the hormone. This partial block of the estradiol-induced CVA response by CB154 was relieved by exogenous rat prolactin. The CVA content in immature animals was not influenced by CB154, given alone or together with estradiol. Combined treatment with estradiol and rat prolactin (3 mug every 8 h for 6 days) increased more efficiently than estradiol alone the amount of CVA in immature and adult nonestrogenized animals. Prolactin injected alone had no effect on the CVA content. These data strongly suggest a synergistic action of estradiol and prolactin in augmenting the epithelial CVA content. Explants of the vaginal wall from normal and neonatally estrogenized mice were grafted into the thigh muscles of newborn mice, every host carrying one graft from both types of animals. The CVA content in the epithelium of the two grafts increased to the same level in response to estradiol. When the hosts were injected with estradiol and prolactin, the CVA content was higher in grafts from estrogenized donors than in those from nonestrogenized animals. Our results demonstrate that the mucified vaginal cells in adult, neonatally estrogenized mice have a content of CVA which is higher than in nonestrogenized animals. This difference may be ascribed to hormonal factors (estradiol-prolactin) as well as to persistent effects in the vaginal cells as a result of the neonatal estrogen treatment.

Micro-organisms and the appearance of leucocytes in the vaginal wall of cyclic female rats at metoestrus

The present study was undertaken to examine whether leucocytic infiltration of the vagina of the rat at metoestrus is dependent on its contamination by micro-organisms. Observations were made on vaginal tissue that had been transplanted under the kidney capsule in cyclic rats, taking care to avoid infection during the transplantation procedure. In such grafts, changes occurred that were associated with ovulation and formation of the CL, but leucocytosis was never obtained at metoestrus. Cyclic changes were observed in the cell patterns of the vaginal smears of germ-free rats, and could be correled exactly with the ovarian cycle. No leucocytes were present at metoestrus. Many micro-orgainisms were present in the vagina at pro-oestrus and oestrus in normal cyclic females, but not at metoestrus and dioestrus. It is concluded that the occurrence of leucocytosis in the vagina at metoestrus in normal cyclic female rats depends on the presence of micro-oranisms.

Implantation, transplantation, and epithelial-mesenchymal relationships in the rat uterus

Free tail skin grafts or suspensions of viable epidermal cells have been placed in the atraumatized uterus of isologous rat hosts and allowed to "implant" of their own accord to study the possible uniqueness of this site for other than nature's transplants, i.e. conceptuses, and its response to unnatural grafts. Despite the presence of an intact endometrial epithelium, free skin grafts heal-in rapidly, provided that a state of estrogen excess is established at the time of transplantation. In the absence of estrogen most of the grafts failed to implant. Once established, the grafts survive indefinitely without further estrogen. However, if at any stage a state of continual estrus is established, skin epidermis migrates centrifugally from the graft perimeter invasively replacing the native uterine epithelium. The results of an analysis of the modus operandi of this estrogen-facilitated epidermal migration in utero sustain the view that the hormone acts upon the uterine stroma rather than upon the epidermal cells. When grafts of lingual mucosa or vaginal "skin" were placed in the uteri of rats maintained in chronic estrus, migration of epidermis took place even more vigorously than from tail skin. These epithelia conserved their distinctive histologic specificities indefinitely when growing as heterotypic recombinants on the alien mesenchymal stroma of the uterus. Monodisperse suspensions of epidermal cells appear to "implant" and establish small epidermal plaques in the uterus only at sites predestined to accept conceptuses. That the endocrinologic parameters for the establishment of skin grafts in the uterus are similar to those for blastocysts is suggested by the finding that both kinds of graft can become established in the same uterine horn in the absence of exogenous hormones.

The behavior of autografts and homografts of vaginal tissue in rabbits

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