Premium
Ultrastructural characterization of apoptotic granulosa cells in caprine ovary
Author(s) -
SHARMA R.K.,
BHARDWAJ J.K.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
journal of microscopy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2818
pISSN - 0022-2720
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2818.2009.03281.x
Subject(s) - follicular atresia , cytoplasm , vacuolization , apoptosis , biology , fragmentation (computing) , haematoxylin , microbiology and biotechnology , ultrastructure , dna fragmentation , nucleus , granulosa cell , ovary , pathology , staining , programmed cell death , ovarian follicle , anatomy , endocrinology , medicine , biochemistry , ecology , genetics
Summary The unique phenomenon of cell proliferation and apoptosis is encountered in the ovarian follicles undergoing early stages of atresia. The aim of this study was to verify the morphological variations in these two physiologically distinct processes operating in antral follicles of caprine ovaries using histological and ultrastructural techniques. Histologically the degenerating granulosa cells were characterized by condensed cytoplasm, and nucleus fragmentation in hazy cytosol. The pyknotic nuclei of degenerating cells stained darkly with haematoxylin and giemsa while the cytoplasm was eosinophilic. Under electron microscopy, apoptosis was marked by asymmetrical shrinkage, vacuolization of cytoplasm, swollen and vacuolated mitochondria, increased irregularity and/or fragmentation of nucleus, chromatin condensation and finally, production of membrane enclosed nuclear fragments containing intracellular material, the apoptotic bodies. The parallel use of these two methods on caprine ovaries has enabled us to analyse the decline in the frequency of granulosa cells during follicular atresia due to apoptosis.