Improving Techniques to Study Equine Cervical Mucociliary Clearance.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Reproductive Biology
• Microbiology

Background:

• Postbreeding uterine infections cause significant economic losses in the equine industry.
• Ciliated cells in the equine uterus and cervix may generate microcurrents to expel contaminants.
• Previous studies suggested ciliary microcurrents using carbon particles, but adherence issues were noted.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of nonadherent substances, specifically microspheres, in visualizing equine cervical microcurrents.
• To test the hypothesis that polyethylene microspheres would be superior to carbon for revealing microcurrents.
• To determine if specific microspheres would exhibit rotation, indicating ciliary activity.

Main Methods:

• High-magnification videoendoscopy was used to observe particle movement on the equine cervix.
• Polyethylene microspheres (1-70 μm) and carbon particles were applied to the cervix of estrous mares.
• Particle movement, aggregation, visibility, and rotation were quantitatively assessed and analyzed.

Main Results:

• Carbon particles performed equally or better than microspheres in revealing cervical microcurrents.
• No significant difference was found in the ability of microspheres versus carbon to demonstrate microcurrents.
• Particle movement was observed to be closely linked to the mare's respiratory movements.

Conclusions:

• The hypothesis that microspheres would be superior to carbon for visualizing equine cervical microcurrents was rejected.
• Equine cervical folds, influenced by respiration, play a crucial role in clearing deposited particles.
• Carbon particles remain a viable option for studying microcurrents in the equine cervix.