Studies on Oviduct Motility in the Domestic Fowl

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Abstract
Estradiol benzoate (1mg/kg/day) and testosterone propionate (0.5mg/kg/day) were injected intramusculaly into 36 White Leghorn pullets at 65 days of age every other day for a period of 20 days. On the days of 9th and 10th (final) injections, two groups of the birds received additional injection of progesterone at the dose level of 1mg/kg/day or 4mg/kg/day, and the remaining one group received oil injection. In all groups, half of the birds received injection of reserpine (1mg/bird, i.m.) 12 and 24h prior to experiments. On the next day of the final injection of the sex steroid hormones, spontaneous action potentials of the oviduct uterus were recorded in vivo under pentobarbital anethesia by using a polygraph with the time constant of 0.01sec, in the same manner as reported earlier (6). Recordings were also made following the intravenous infusion of α-adrenergic drug (norepinephrine), α-adrenergic bocking agent (phenoxybenzamine), β-adrenergic drug (isoproterenol) and β-adrenergic blocking agent (propranorol). In the progesterone injected birds, the spike bursts were more vigorous than in the oil injected birds. The myographic activity was depressed by the injection of reserpine. After the infusion of the α-adrenergic drug, norepinephrine, a temporal increase in the myographic activity was obserbed except for the birds pretreated with reserpine and without progesterone. The activity was inhibited following the infusion of the α-adrenergic blocking agent, phenoxybenzamine. The infusion of the β-adrenergic drug, isoproterenol, caused transient pauses in the spike bursts, while the infusion of the β-adrenergic blocking agent, propranorol, caused an increase in the activity. The terms form the beginning of the isoproterenol infusion to the pausing of the spike bursts were delayed by the pretreatment with reserpine and similar results were also obtained in the birds receiving progesterone pretreatment. The duration of the pausing of the spike bursts following the isoproterenol infusion shortened by reserpine and progesterone. The results suggest that there exist not only β-receptors but also α-receptors in the musculature of the oviduct uterus, and that progesterone causes an increase in the number of these receptors as well as in the translocation of catecholamines.
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