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Anat Histol Embryol
2020 Nov 01;496:742-748. doi: 10.1111/ahe.12569.
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Microvascular anatomy of ovary and oviduct in the adult African Clawed Toad (Xenopus laevis DAUDIN, 1802)-Histomorphology and scanning electron microscopy of vascular corrosion casts.
Lametschwandtner A
,
Minnich B
.
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Ovaries and oviducts of the adult African Clawed Toad (Xenopus laevis DAUDIN, 1802) were studied by light microscopy (LM) of paraplast embedded tissue sections and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of vascular corrosion casts (VCCs). Histomorphology revealed that ovarian vessels located in the thecal layers. Ovarian and interlobar arteries displayed a horse-shoe shaped longitudinally running bundle of vascular smooth muscle cells. Follicular blood vessels showed flattened profiles, which were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy in vascular corrosion casts. The flattened profiles obviously led to high intravasal pressures, which locally prevented filling of the follicular capillary bed. Oviduct arteries pierced the fibrous stroma surrounding the oviduct mucosa. In the pars convoluta, the mucosa consisted of a ciliated simple columnar epithelium and tubular oviduct glands that opened between ciliated epithelial cells into the oviduct lumen. Oviduct arteries branched at the basolateral surfaces of tubular glands. After a short tangential course, arterioles branched into capillaries which ran radially between oviduct glands towards the subepithelium. Anastomoses at different heights connected capillaries of neighbouring glands. Subepithelially, capillaries ran longitudinally and undulated. Postcapillary venules radiated centrifugally towards the stroma to finally drain into oviduct veins located in the stroma. Oviduct vascular densities clearly reflected non-ovulatory and ovulatory states.
FIGURE 1. Ovary of adult Xenopus laevis. (a) Ventral view. Stereomicroscope image. Dashed lines indicate interlobar borders. Note the different stages of oocytes. Arrow points at an ovarian blood vessel. (b) Ovarian lobe, histomorphology. Tissue section (7 µm), Goldner staining. Light microscope image. Note preâvitellogenic (1) and vitellogenic oocytes (2) enclosed by the ovarian sac (os). lu lumen. (c) Interlobar artery. Transverse section (7 µm). Note the horseâshoeâshaped bundle of longitudinally arranged vascular smooth muscle cells (arrow). Arrowhead points at a capillary within the follicular theca. Note preâvitellogenic (1) and vitellogenic oocytes (2). Inset. Interlobar artery. Longitudinal section (7 µm). Note the bundle of vascular smooth muscle cells (arrow). (d) Follicular artery (fa) and lymphatics (ly). Note the bundle of longitudinally arranged vascular smooth muscle cells (vsmc). fe: follicle epithelium; m: melanocyte; oe: outer ovarian epithelium; ve: vitteline envelope; 2: vitellogenic oocyte
FIGURE 2. Histomorphology of the oviduct of adult Xenopus. (a) Horizontal section (7 µm) through a segment of the convolute portion (pars convoluta). Note the thin fibrous stroma (arrow). (b) Oviductepithelium (ep) and oviduct glands (og). Arrows point at subepithelial capillaries (c). Inset. Simple ciliated columnar epithelium forming folds (domes). Arrow points at a glandular opening. (c) Oviduct glands (og). Transverse section. Note that capillaries (c) lying between glands anastomose at different levels (arrowheads). Arrow points at a glandular duct. (d) Fibrous stroma surrounding the oviduct. A capillary (c) locates between the basolateral surfaces of oviduct glands (og). ct: connective tissue; ep: epithelium; f: fibrocyte; lu: lumen; nu: nucleus of glandular cell; pe: peritoneal epithelium; smc: smooth muscle cell
FIGURE 3. Microvascular anatomy of ovary and oviduct of adult Xenopus. Vascular corrosion cast. SEM micrograph. Arteries are coloured red, and veins are coloured blue. (a) Origin of ovarian arteries (oa) from urogenital arteries (asterisks). View at the ventral surface of the leftkidney (ki). Rightkidney and oviducts are removed. Remnants of the ovary (o) are left. Note the veins (arrowheads) below the posterior caval vein (pcv) which drain several ovarian veins (ov) into the posterior caval vein. Inset. Detail of the vein (v). Note the spirally arranged imprints of vascular smooth muscle cells (arrow). (b) Microvascular anatomy of an isolated ovary. Lateral view. Note supplying ovarian arteries (large arrows) and draining ovarian veins (small arrows) running close aside each other in the mesovarium. Asterisk marks âconductive bridge.â(c) Course and branching pattern of an ovarian artery (oa). Note an interlobar artery (ia) supplying an ovarian lobe (ol). (d) Vascular bed of a single ovoid ovarian follicle (of). Asterisk marks an incomplete filling of the capillary bed. Inset. Intimal cushion (arrow) and flow divider (arrowhead) at the origin of two follicular arteries (fa) from an interlobar artery (ia). fa: follicular artery; fv: follicular vein; rv: renal vein
FIGURE 4. Microvascular anatomy of the oviduct of adult Xenopus. (a) Pars recta (pr). Dorsal aspect. Note the first oviductartery (oda) branching off the dorsal aorta (da). Asterisk marks âconductive bridge.â (b) Microvascuar anatomy of the ostium (arrow) and anterior pars recta (pr) of the oviduct. Dorsal aspect. Note the transition from the capillary network of the slitâlike ostium into the capillary network of the peritoneum (pe). Asterisk marks âconductive bridge.â (c) Microvascular anatomy of the posterior pars recta. Transverse section. Luminal capillary rows (arrows) outline the longitudinally running epithelial folds. (d) Microvascular anatomy of the pars convoluta (pc) of the oviduct. External aspect. Note branching pattern of oviduct arteries (oda), merging patterns of oviduct veins (odv), and wide intercapillary distances. Undulating longitudinally running capillaries can be seen located subepithelially in the depth (arrows). (e) Pars convoluta. Transition of superficially running oviduct arteries (oda) into radially penetrating arterioles and capillaries (arrows). Detail from (d) (enboxed area). Note the wide spacing of blood vessels. Radial capillaries change into longitudinally running undulating capillaries (arrowheads) which drain centrifugally towards superficially located oviduct veins (odv). (f) Pars convoluta. Arteriolarâcapillaryâvenular transitions. Slightly oblique longitudinal section. Arrows mark undulating longitudinally running subepithelial capillaries. li: liver; lm: lumen; lu: lung; odv: oviductvein; pa: pulmonary artery; tr: trachea
FIGURE 5. Microvascular anatomy of the pars convoluta in an ovulating adult Xenopus. (a) High vascular density with coiled oviduct arteries (oda), undulating oviduct veins (odv) and densely spaced capillaries. (b) Detail from (a) (enboxed area). Arterioâvenous transitions. Note the conspicuous coiling of oviduct arteries (oda), oviduct veins (odv), and capillaries (c)
FIGURE 6. Microvascular anatomy of the uterus (caudal oviduct) in adult Xenopus. (a) View at the ventral surface of the ventral (vut) and the dorsal wall (dut) of the uterus . Note the prominent venous plexus (vp) draining into a renal vein (arrow; rv). Part of the ventral wall of the uterus is removed to expose the luminal aspect of the dorsal wall of the uterus (dut). (b) Same as (a), but after removal of the venous plexus of the left uterus. Note the narrow spaced obliquely running capillary rows. Inset. Capillary nets (c) overlaying and draining into veins (v) of the venous plexus. (c) Subepithelial capillary rows of the dorsal walls of right and left uterus (dut). Capillary rows of right and left uterus converge towards the midline and then run longitudinally. (d) Dorsal wall of the uterus. Note supplying arteries (red, oda) and draining veins (blue, odv). Capillary rows at the luminal side displayed in (c) can be seen faintly (arrows). ki: kidney; oda: oviductartery; odv: oviductvein; pcv: posterior caval vein; re: rectum; ub urinary bladder
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