THE 3-DIMENSIONAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE MYOSALPINX IN THE COW AS REVEALED BY SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPY

The three-dimensional architecture of the myosalpinx in the cow has be en investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy after removal of interstitial connective tissue with NaOH digestion. In the extramu ral portion of the tubo-uterine junction, in the isthmus and ampulla, the myosalpinx is made up of oblique bundles of variable orientation a nd length, which are loosely distributed in the tubo-uterine junction and densely packed in both isthmus and ampulla. These bundles intersec t and merge into the surrounding musculature. Our observations demonst rate how myosalpinx consists mainly of bundles of muscular fibers inde pendent one of another, which show a multiple spatial arrangement and form a complex network. Such a muscular architecture is likely more su itable for stirring rather than pushing the embryos and gametes throug h the tube.