Functional and morphological evaluation of the mucosa of endometrium and oviduct in postpartum goats

The aim of this work was to characterize the structural changes in the surface epithelium and endometrial glands as well as oviduct mucosa in goats after parturition using the light and transmission electron microscopy. Fifteen Slovak short-haired goats were used. They were killed on days 3, 21, 36, and 40 after parturition. The evaluation of semithin sections from day 3 postpartum revealed impaired epithelial cells. Lymphocytes and neutrophil granulocytes were present in the lumen of uterine glands. Ciliated cells and sporadic secretory cells were found in the ampullary part of oviducts (day 3 postpartum). Cells contained mitochondria and cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum. On day 21 postpartum, impaired cells with a vacuolised cytoplasm were present on ultrathin sections from the caruncular region of endometrium, ciliated cells were present and secretory cells with secretory granules increased in the epithelium of oviduct ampula. The surface epithelium on day 36 was continuous, simple columnar. The presence of numerous kinocilia was observed on the free border of ciliated cells of the oviduct mucosa. Glandular cells contained a great amount of dense secretory granules in the cytoplasm. The observations on day 40 were similar to those on day 36. These results can be used in oestrus induction or synchronization.