THE CHANGES IN PNA, WGA, AND UEA I LECTIN BINDING PATTERN IN THE UTERINE TUBE EPITHELIUM BY EFFECTS OF ESTRADIOL AND PROGESTERONE THERAPY IN RAT

Background:The carbohydrate histochemistry in the epithelium of the uterine tube was found to be related to the uterine tube physiology and morphology.
Objectives:This study investigated the changing binding pattern of peanut agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, and ulexeuropaeus agglutinin I lectin to the epithelial cells of the rat oviduct ampullary region in response to the effect of combined estrogen and progesterone hormonal administration.
Methods:This experimental study was based on injecting the animals with doses of estradiol and Progesterone hormonesduring the successive estrous cycles. Then, the ampulla of uterine tubes were identified and prepared for paraffin sections. The peanut agglutinin, wheat germ agglutinin, and ulexeuropaeus agglutinin I lectins were used to label the tube section; the sections were examined by fluorescent microscope.
Results:The three lectins used in this study showed analogous pattern of binding behavior. The uterine tube epithelium of the controlled group showed bimodality of binding, while that of the treated group showed a third pattern of lectin binding in some of the epithelial cells.
Conclusion:The ciliated cells that are transformed to display a secretory function are called the transitional cells, the formation of these cells is influenced by hormonal factors and the pattern of the lectins binding to these cells could be considered as a histochemical marking.
Key word: Lectin, uterine tube, carbohydrate histochemistry, hormone.