Bull Vet Inst Pulawy 52, 241-244, 2008
CHANGES OF BLOOD FLOW THROUGH THE CHICKEN
OVARY AND OVIDUCT AFTER SEROTONIN TREATMENT
JANUSZ RZĄSA, ANNA HRABIA, HELENA PACZOSKA-ELIASIEWICZ, AND ANDRZEJ SECHMAN
Department of Animal Physiology, University of Agriculture in Krakow,
30-059 Krakόw, Poland
[email protected]
Received for publication February 22, 2008
Abstract
The effect of serotonin on cardiac output and blood
flow through the white ovarian follicles, five yellow
preovulatory follicles (F5-F1), and four oviductal parts:
infundibulum, magnum, isthmus, and shell gland were
measured with 86RbCl 1 min and 5 min after serotonin
treatment in the domestic hen. In comparison with control
hens, serotonin significantly increased cardiac output by
35.8% 5 min after its treatment. Blood flow (ml/min/g tissue)
through the white follicles, F5-F4 follicles, and shell gland
was significantly decreased (60%, 40.6%-52.1%, and 23.7%,
respectively) 1 min after serotonin treatment and was
significantly elevated through the white follicles, F3 follicle,
and shell gland (187.5%, 36.4%, and 69.7%, respectively) 5
min after its administration. The fact that serotonin present in
high concentration in chicken reproductive organs
significantly changes blood flow through the ovary and shell
gland (uterus) indicates that serotonin by the influence on
haemodynamics of blood vessels and in consequence changes
of blood flow participates in the processes taking place in the
ovary during growth and maturation of the follicles and in the
oviduct during formation of the egg and/or oviposition.
Key words: chicken, ovary, oviduct, blood
flow, serotonin.
In the chicken ovary and oviduct, several
biogenic amines, including serotonin, were found (1, 10,
14, 16). In the ovary, there were observed significant
changes in serotonin level during oocyte development
and ovulation, as well as negative correlation between
follicle diameter and serotonin concentration in the
follicular wall (11, 16). On the other hand, gradual
increase was revealed in serotonin content in the four
largest preovulatory follicles, reaching the highest level
0.5 h before ovulation, followed by rapid decrease in the
postovulatory follicle (13). Moreover, the relationship
was noticed between oestrogens, serotonin (15),
pituitary activity, and serotonin level in preovulatory
follicle (12). In the oviduct, a significant increase in
serotonin concentration was observed at the oviposition
time (10). Recently, serotonin was localised
immunocyto-chemically in the vaginal epithelial cells
and involvement of serotonin in the local control of
sperm transport in the turkey vagina was suggested (1).
These results indicate that serotonin might be involved
in peripheral mechanisms, which control ovarian and
oviductal functions.
As in mammals, serotonin influences blood
flow through the reproductive organs (2, 4, 5, 18), it
seems likely that in birds the action of this amine as an
intra-ovarian and intra-oviductal regulator may occur
via its association with regulation of blood flow.
Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine
the effect of serotonin on cardiac output and blood flow
through the ovary and four oviductal parts of the
domestic hen.
Material and Methods
The experiment was conducted according to the
research protocol approved by the Local Animal Ethics
Committee (No. 50/OP/2004). Twenty-four-week-old
Astra S laying hens (n=21) were caged individually
under a photoperiod of 14 h light/10 h dark with free
access to food and water. The birds, 0.5 h before the
expected time of ovulation, were divided into three
groups: control and two experimental ones. The
experimental hens received serotonin (25 µg/kg b.w,
i.v.), while the control hens received 0.9% NaCl.
Cardiac output and blood flow through the white
ovarian follicles (WF), yellow preovulatory follicles
(F5-F1; F5<F4<F3<F2<F1), and four oviductal parts
(infundibulum, magnum, isthmus, and shell gland) were
measured in control hens (n=7) and in experimental
hens 1 min (n=7) and 5 min (n=7) after the serotonin
treatment.
Cardiac output and blood flow were measured
with 86RbCl using the method of Sapirstein (17) in small
modification, as described previously (3). Briefly,
anaesthesia was induced by i.v. injection of sodium
242
pentobarbital (12 mg/kg b.wt,). The femoral artery was
catheterised for blood collection. One or 5 min after
serotonin administration, radioactive rubidium (30 µCi
86
RbCl/ 0.5 ml of physiological saline) with heparin (5
mg) was injected into the wing vein and immediately
after isotope injection the arterial blood was collected at
a rate of 15-20 samples through 1 min at a volume of
0.2 ml. Just after the blood collection, the hens were
decapitated and the ovaries and oviducts were isolated.
Each part of the ovary and oviduct was weighed,
homogenised, and their radioactivity was measured
using γ-counter (LKB). The cardiac output was
calculated from the curve relating the radioactivity of
the arterial blood to the time. The fraction of the cardiac
output perfusing the measured tissue was calculated by
dividing the radioactivity of the tissue by the total
activity administered. Blood flow through the organ was
expressed as ml/min/g tissue.
For statistical evaluation of the results one- or
two-way ANOVA followed by Duncan’s multiple range
test were used. The significance of differences was
considered at the level P<0.05.
Results
Cardiac output in control group was 321 ± 23.3
ml/min. One min after serotonin administration, cardiac
output increased not significantly to 350.8 ± 10.08
ml/min, while 5 min after serotonin treatment a
significant (P<0.05) increase in cardiac output to 435.9
± 11.03 ml/min was observed.
In the ovaries of the control hens, there were no
significant differences in blood flow among yellow
preovulatory follicles F5-F1 (Table 1). One min after
serotonin administration, a significant decrease in blood
flow was observed through F5 and F4 follicles, whereas
5 min after serotonin administration a significant
increase in blood flow was found in the F3 follicle.
Blood flow through the white follicles
significantly decreased 1 min after serotonin
administration, and increased after 5 min (Table 1).
Measurement of blood flow through the
oviductal parts showed that in comparison with control
group, serotonin administration significantly decreased
blood flow through the shell gland 1 min after treatment,
whereas increased 5 min after its administration (Table
2).
Table 1
Blood flow through the white (WF) and yellow preovulatory follicles (F5-F1)
of chicken ovary 1 and 5 min after serotonin administration (mean ± SE)
Blood flow (ml/min/g tissue)
Tissue type
Serotonin (25 µg/kg)
1 min after treatment
5 min after treatment
WF
0.16 ± 0.019b
1.15 ± 0.082e
0.40 ± 0.038c
ab
d
F5
0.71 ± 0.050
0.34 ± 0.056
0.89 ± 0.042be
ab
cd
0.69 ± 0.042
0.41 ± 0.050
0.79 ±0.038b
F4
a
acd
0.66 ± 0.063
0.50 ± 0.068
0.90 ± 0.036be
F3
ab
ac
0.68 ± 0.052
0.54 ± 0.060
0.83 ± 0.04b
F2
a
ac
0.73 ± 0.064
0.56 ±0.070
0.78 ± 0.060ab
F1
N=7; a, b, c, d, e - means in rows and columns marked with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05
Control (0.9% NaCl)
Table 2
Blood flow through the chicken oviductal parts 1 and 5 min after serotonin administration (mean ± SE)
Blood flow (ml/min/g tissue)
Oviductal part
Infundibulum
Magnum
Isthmus
Shell gland
Control (0.9% NaCl)
0.49 ± 0.040a
0.47 ± 0.041a
0.56 ± 0.046a
0.76 ± 0.042b
Serotonin (25 µg/kg)
1 min after treatment
5 min after treatment
0.46 ± 0.031a
0.43 ± 0.030a
a
0.51 ± 0.035
0.54 ± 0.047a
a
0.47 ± 0.037
0.59 ±0.041a
a
0.58 ± 0.027
1.29 ± 0.076c
N=7; a, b, c, d, e - means in rows and columns marked with different superscripts differ significantly at P<0.05
243
Discussion
Blood supply to the avian ovary and oviduct
varies accordingly to these organs activity (6-8).
Ovarian functions are associated mainly with
steroidogenesis and vitellogenesis, whereas oviductal
functions are connected with the formation of the egg
and oviposition. In turn, ovarian and oviductal functions
are accompanied by changes in serotonin levels in these
tissues (10, 11, 13, 15, 16). In the present study, cardiac
output and blood flow through the wall of the ovarian
follicles and oviductal parts after serotonin
administration were examined. In control birds, cardiac
output was in accordance with earlier studies (6-9).
Serotonin significantly increased cardiac output 5 min
after its administration. In the control group, blood flow
through the yellow preovulatory follicles, among which
statistically significant differences were not present, was
in agreement with previous investigations (6, 17). White
follicles were characterised by significantly lower blood
flow, i.e. from 39% to 45% lower than in preovulatory
follicles. It seems obvious because in these follicles
accumulation of yolk precursors is on a very low level.
A new finding of the study was that serotonin
significantly decreased blood flow to the white,
preovulatory F5 and F4 follicles 1 min after its
administration, while increased blood flow to the white
and F3 follicles was observed 5 min after its
administration. The changes in blood flow may result
from the changes in cardiac output or local serotonin
action in the ovary. One min after serotonin treatment,
cardiac output did not change significantly as compared
to the control, and serotonin caused decrease in blood
flow to the white and two lowest preovulatory follicles.
However, 5 min following serotonin administration, a
significant (by 35.8%) increase in cardiac output was
observed. This observation indicates that 5 min after
serotonin, the treatment increased the blood flow to the
F3 follicles by about 36% is a result of increased cardiac
output, whereas the increase of blood flow to the white
follicles (almost 190%), is a consequence of the local
serotonin action, similarly as 1 min after its
administration when it decreased the blood flow.
In the oviduct, the changes in blood flow after
serotonin treatment were revealed exclusively in the
shell gland. One min after its administration, the blood
flow through the shell gland decreased (24%), while it
increased (70%) 5 min following serotonin treatment.
Similarly, the alteration in blood flow to the uterus after
serotonin treatment was observed in mammals (4, 5, 18).
It was shown in rats that serotonin decreased uterine
blood flow 30 and 60 min after its administration (4) or
increased uterine blood flow 10 min after serotonin
treatment and next decreased 45 min after its
administration (5). Moreover, using serotonin receptor
blocker, the involvement of serotonin in the regulation
of uterine blood flow in oestradiol treated rats was
found (18).
The measurement of blood flow in the present
work was carried out in hens 0.5 h before the expected
time of ovulation i.e. just after oviposition. Hence,
changes in blood flow to the shell gland may be
connected with the oviposition process. The
experimental treatment did not affect the other oviductal
segments; however, it would be interesting to examine
whether the presence of an egg in particular segments of
the oviduct changes the influence of serotonin. As has
been previously reported (6, 8, 19), the highest blood
flow through the oviductal parts occurs before, during,
or after passing of an egg through the given segment.
To sum up, the results of the present study
indicate that serotonin, by the influence on
haemodynamics of blood vessels and in consequence
changes in blood flow to the ovarian follicles and
oviduct; participates in the processes taking place in the
ovary during growth and maturation of the follicles and
in the oviduct during formation of an egg and/or
oviposition.
Acknowledgments: This
supported by DS-3243/KFZ/03-07.
study
was
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