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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle
Published on: August 30, 2021
[Uterus sympathetic nervous apparatus in sexual cycle dynamics in rats]
Abstract:
Uterus sympathetic nervous apparatus in various phases of sexual cycle in rats was studied with the microspectral fluorescent method. The main part of nervous fibers in the form of perivascular plexus and terminals deviating from them are localized in myometrium. We suppose presence of reserve ("silent") nervous fibers in uterus which explains the inconstancy of their revealing in the organ. Catecholamines and serotonin are identified in varicose enlargements and intervaricose parts of nervous fibers by the way of microspectrofluorometry. Their concentration in probing places is characterized by high degree of linear correlation at all stages of sexual cycle. Maximal concentration of bioamines in most structural elements of uterus sympathetic nervous apparatus in detected in late diestrus. Stages of early and late estrus and proestrus are characterized by low levels of monoamines in adrenergic fibers. A number of reliable differences between bioamines saturation and spatial distribution density of nervous fibers in the neck and body of the womb are revealed.
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