BULBOURETRAL GLANDS SECRETIONS INVOLVEMENT IN LAMA OVIDUCT SPERM RESERVOIR FORMATION

APICHELA, SILVANA A.; CHAVES, GRACIELA; TRASORRA, VIRGINIA; CARRETERO, M. IGNACIA; PINTO, MARCELO; RUTTER, BRUNO; JIMÉNEZ DÍAZ, MARÍA; AGÜERO, ALICIA; MICELI, DORA C.

Tafí del Valle - Tucumán

Jornada; Jornadas Científicas de la Asociación de Biología de Tucumán; 2006

Asociación de Biología de Tucumán

In previous studies we have suggested that the utero tubal junction (UTJ) plays a role as oviductal sperm reservoir in Llama. A substance that covers both the sperm and the oviductal mucose seems to participate in the sperm - oviduct interaction. This substance could have an oviductal or semen origin. Taking into account that semen viscosity is attributed to bulbourethral glands secretions; females with ovaries in mature phase, checked by ultrasound procedures, were mated with bulborethrectomized males. Uterine horns both oviducts were obtained by surgery 24 hs after mating. Oviducts were flushed for recovering the non attached sperm. After that, uterine horn, UTJ and isthmus were separated, fixed and processed to SEM observations. Results show sperm attached to the oviductal mucose by a laminar substance distributed as patches over the surface of UTJ of the females mated with control males. The absence of both of them, the adhesive substance and the sperm attached to the oviductal mucose in the females mated with bulborethrectomized males confirm the semen origin of this substance and its possible relation with the oviducal sperm reservoir.