The ultrastructural changes of the endometrium early in the normal pregnancy were observed to clear the function of the endometrium that is preparing for the reception of the fertilized ovum.
Though the mechanism of ovum implantation is differ from species to species, it is reasonable to assume that there should be some common events in the fundamental aspects.
We wish to describe the functional meanings of these ultrastructural changes with histochemical findings of some enzymes such as ALPase, ACPase and ATPase, which are important substances related to the cell membrane permeability, secretion and absorption of the cell and the transport of cellular material.
The virgin. Wistar strain rats were laparotomized under light Nembutal anesthesia and the uterine horn was excised immediately and was sliced and fixed in paraformaldehyde-glutaraldehyde. Then it was rinsed in buffer and was postfixed in 0s04 and processed for electron microscopy.
The observation was made mainly in the antimesometrial site of the endometrium on each day of early normal pregnancy from day L2 to day L5.
The histochemical preparation was made after Gomori's method for ALP and ACPase, and Wachstein-Meisel's method for ATPase.
1) On the day L2, the ALPase activity was mainly located in the luminal epithelia and the blood vessel wall.
The free surface of the luminal epithelia was covered with rather regular arrangement of microvilli and they were definitely covered with the filamentous structure.
The dilated microvilli was observed in the glandular epithelium and the stromal edema has already appeared.
2) On the day L3, the ATPase activity was increased in the luminal epithelia and the blood vessel has high activity of ALP and ATPase.
The microvilli in the luminal epithelia has the tendency to shorten and the filament-ous structure was disappeared.
The remarkable increase of the apical vesicles was the prominent feature and the well developed Golgi complex and dilated granular endoplasmic reticulum were also observed.
The basement lamina revealed marked tortuosity.
The stromal edema has increased and the cytoplasma of the stromal cell was enlarged and has developed organella.
The glandular lumen has many fine granules.
3) On the day L4, the subepithelial stroma showed marked ALPase activity and the ATPase activity has also appeared.
The microvilli and apical vesicles has obviously decreased in the luminal epithelia and there was translocation of the lipid droplet to the supranuclear region.
The lysosome became complicated in its structure and increased in its number.
The ribosome has progressively increased prominently and the dilated granular endoplasmic reticulum was filled with moderate electro-dense substance.
The electron density of the glandular lumen was in its peak and it was occupied with that fine granules.
4) On the day L5, the enzymic activities were more increased in the anti-mesometrial stromal cells. The surface of luminal epithelia was entirely covered with irregular cytoplasmic protrusions and the supranuclear lipid droplet has increased in its number.
The electron density and the number of lysosome have increased.
The basal lamina was rather straight at this time but it was completely intact.
The stromal edema has decreased and the stromal cells were connected with desmosome.
Fibrillar material and cilium were also observed in the stromal cells.
The electron density in the glandular lumen has decreased and the some mitochondria of the glandular epithelia showed low electron density and was dilated.
Similar changes were observed in the luminal epithelia in the mesometrial site, but the stromal edema in this site was more prominent and the cytoplasma of the stromal cell was not well developed.
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