Browsing by Subject "Folliculogenesis"

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    Histopathological evaluation of infertility: Lessons from laboratory rodents
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2024) Ricken, Albert Markus; Hamed, Moses Agbomhere; Akhigbe, Roland Eghoghosoa
    Infertility is a growing challenge globally with emerging risk factors. There are effective laboratory tests to evaluate infertility in humans, nevertheless, some measures, especially histo-pathological evaluations, are invasive due to the pain inflicted when accessing the reproductive organs and obtaining samples; hence, their relevance may be limited in humans. However, these histopathological evaluations provide essential information on the etiopathogenesis of infertility and the likely mechanisms of action of potential therapeutic candidates. Also, non-invasive methods are available, such as the assay of testosterone in the blood and semen analysis, both of which are predictors of testicular functions. This review provides detailed information on the available histopathological investigations of infertility, such as qualitative and quantitative histopathological assessments of gonadal tissues, specific cell counts, and sperm morphology characterization, with a focus on the procedures, interpretation, and pathophysiological basis. Data from the literature revealed that histopathological examinations of the reproductive organs, as well as spermatozoa, are useful in understanding the pathogenesis of incident infertility. Histopathological evaluation may range from basic hematoxylin and eosin stains to some special stains. Also, histopathological findings (such as spermatogenic cells and planimetric variables, like seminiferous tubule diameter and theca cell and corpus luteum thickness) may be quantified and analyzed for comparison. Some skill is required for these investigations, which may be a limiting factor; however, they are important tools in translational medicine.
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    Ovarian function of the algerian wild Libyan jird, Meriones libycus during seasonal reproductive cycle: histological and immunohistochemical expression
    (F. Hernández y Juan F. Madrid. Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2013) Smaï-Hamdidouche, Souaâd; Gernigon-Spychalowicz, Thérèse; Khammar, Farida; Exbrayat, Jean Marie
    Meriones libycus (Libyan jird), a nocturnal Saharan rodent, is characterized by a seasonal reproductive cycle with a short active phase (spring and early summer) and a long resting period (late summer, autumn, winter). Histological and immunohistochemical techniques were performed in order to study the seasonal variations in mature ovaries. During the breeding season, the ovary showed a continuous cyclical activity, the various stages of folliculogenesis from primordial to preovulatory follicles were observed; broken follicles and corpora lutea were also observed. During sexual quiescence, the ovarian cycle was interrupted; anovulation was observed without any corpus luteum. Non mature antral follicles entered the atretic process. Steroid and steroidogenic enzyme activities were studied using indirect immunohistochemistry. 17ß-estradiol, progesterone, testosterone hormones and P450 aromatase (P450 arom) were detected in the different components of the ovary and in various stages of healthy and atretic follicles during the seasonal reproductive cycle. Our results indicate that during ovarian folliculogenesis in breeding season steroids hormone and P450 arom present important activities. In comparison with the resting period, steroidogenesis and steroidogenic enzyme activity became less pronounced in the healthy preantral follicle; it seemed that steroid biosynthesis was reduced and could be involved in the stimulation and maintenance of the ovarian structural integrity in early follicle development. In conclusion, the histological and immunohistochemical seasonal variations of ovaries in Meriones libycus support the hypothesis that seasonal fluctuations are indirectly involved in regulating reproduction, inducing significant changes in both ovarian morphology and its hormonal function.