Lectinhistochemical pattern of the uterus in pregnant and non pregnant plain viscacha (lagostmus maximus)

FLAMINI; BARBEITO; PORTIANSKY

Simposio; VI Latin American Symposium on Maternal-Fetal Interaction and Placenta and V Latin American Symposium on Reproductive Immunology Meeting; 2015

Objectives: To describe the pattern of glycoconjugates (GCs) in the uterus of pregnant and non-pregnant viscacha using lectinhistochemistry. The interest in this species is due its high physiological embryonic death, which could be explained by the above mentioned pattern. Methods: The uteri of wild females in anestrus (A), follicular phase (FP), with early pregnancy (EP) and term pregnancy (PAT) were embedded in paraffin, sectioned and incubated with biotinylated lectins: WGA, CON-A, SBA, DBA, PNA, UEA-1 and RCA-1. LSAB was used as a detection system, diaminobenzidine as the chromogen and hematoxylin as contrast. Positive and negative controls were used. Glycocalyx, surface epithelium and endometrial glands were evaluated. The labeling intensity was semiquantitatively established: 0: negative, 1: mild, 2: moderate and 3: severe. Results: The lectins WGA, SBA and RCA possessed intense reaction in the glycocalyx of the surface epithelium at all reproductive stages. The lectin UEA-1 was moderately to intensely expressed in females in A and FP, but negative in pregnant animals. The lectins CON-A and PNA moderately reacted in the glycocalyx of females in A and not in pregnant animals. Conclusions: The increase or decrease in the expression of some GCs in the uterine epithelium during pregnancy may indicate the importance of these residues for implantation and placentation.