Using a model of mice without mobile cilia in their oviducts – the equivalent of the fallopian tubes in women – researchers have brought to light the determining role of these cilia in fertilization.
In their study, published on May 24, 2021 in the journal “PNAS”, Researchers from the Lundquist Institute (California, United States) have shown that mobile eyelashes present in the fallopian tubes, connecting the ovaries to the uterus, are essential for the meeting of the gametes – sperm and ovum. Because the slightest disturbance of the structure of these cilia or their beating at the level of the tube funnel (part called the infundibulum) leads to ovulation failure, and therefore to female infertility. This is an important discovery, since this problem of transporting the egg into the uterine cavity is known to increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy.
In a statement, the authors of the study recall that once the egg is fertilized by a sperm in the middle of the fallopian tube, the egg-cell created must be transported to the uterine cavity for the embryonic implantation (or nidation). All of these steps are performed by the three main types of cells in the fallopian tube: multiciliated cells, secretory cells and smooth muscle cells.
Dr. Yan further believes that molecules essential to motile hair cells represent a prime target for the development of non-hormonal female contraceptives. In other words, it would be a question of punctually inactivating these cilia, reversibly, to prevent the egg from meeting a sperm.
Yess