Do particles translocate from the vagina to the oviducts and beyond?

To investigate whether particles deposited in the vagina translocate to the oviducts, 0.3 ml of a 4% bone black suspension was deposited in the posterior vaginal fornix of each of five cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) during their mid-menstrual cycle. Simultaneously, each animal received 10 units of oxytocin by intramuscular injection. The oviducts of three animals were removed 1 hr after administration of the bone black, while those of the remaining two animals were removed 72 hr after dosing. The removed oviducts were flushed with Hank's solution and then with collagenase solution. The solutions were collected in clean vials and filtered. The filters were examined for bone black particles by light microscopy, as were filters through which solution blanks (negative controls) had been passed. Particles resembling bone black were found on all filters. There were no appreciable differences in the number or shape of these particles between the solution-blank filters and the oviduct-flush filters. The particles on both the solution-blank filters and on the oviduct-flush filters probably originated from environmental contamination by ubiquitous carbon particles. While these results suggested that no translocation took place, translocation could not be ruled out with certainty in the absence of quantitative analyses. A more definitive pilot study was then conducted with two dosed monkeys and one control, using talc labelled by neutron activation to circumvent the problem of environmental contamination. Gamma-Ray analysis of tissue and peritoneal lavage samples for the radionuclides 46Sc, 59Fe and 60Co indicated that no measurable quantities (i.e. greater than 0.5 micrograms) of talc translocated from the deposition site in the vagina to the uterine cavity and beyond.