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Cervical epithelium and expression of GABA receptors during mouse estrous cycle

Cervical mucus has a significant role in female fertility and protection of the reproductive health [1]. The aim of this study was to determine if mouse cervical epithelium with its specific cyclic changes could serve as an experimental model for investigation of the mechanisms and regulation of secretion of the cervical mucus. A complete study of the structure and cyclic changes of the mouse cervical mucosa was performed. Additionally, several procedures of collecting samples of vaginal secretions to determine the phases of the ovulatory cycle were tested and the most appropriate method chosen [2]. Cytological and histological analyses showed the correlation between the vaginal secretion and the structural changes in the cervical epithelium and mucus (Figure 1). During the estrous phase of the ovulatory cycle, a simple columnar epithelium appears at the top of the squamous stratified epithelium covering the wall of the cervix [3]. We have shown that this columnar epithelium produces cervical mucus. This feature enables the mouse cervical epithelium to serve as a model for investigation of the cervical mucus secretion. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analyses demonstrated the presence of the receptor A of neurotransmitter GABA in the glandular epithelium of the mouse cervix during pro-estrous and estrous phase (Figure 2), assuming that GABA plays a role in the cyclic regulation of cervical mucus secretion.

cervical epithelium; estrous cycle; GABA receptor

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