关键词: 水牛, 细胞凋亡, 透射电镜, 卵泡颗粒细胞, TUNEL

Abstract: In ordor to reveal the origination of antral follicular atresia, and to understand if the apoptosis of granulosa cells (GCs) of antrum follicle exists in buffalo ovarian, the buffaloes before puberty and adult buffaloes(at oestrus & dioestrus) were chosen in this study, the apoptotic characteristics of follicular GCs was studied by paraffin section, HE staining, light microscope, DNA in situ end labeling (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling,TUNEL) and transmit electronic microscope(TEM) technology. The results showed that the healthy antrum follicle had not or only had infrequent apoptotic GCs, while atretic antrum follicle had plentiful apoptotic GCs in buffalo before puberty, the representative forms were apoptosis of single or more GCs in GCs layer, and flock of apoptotic bodies in follicular cavity. There were many apoptotic GCs and the GCs layer was curving and crinkling in the big atretic follicle of adult buffalo at dioestrus. GCs apoptosis also exists in Graafian follicle of buffalo at estrus, all GCs in GCs layer fallen into follicular cavity in the big follicle before ovulation. A apoptosis-examining method of the same tissue slice being respectively stained by HE staining and TUNEL has been invented, GCs apoptosis existed in buffalo antral follicles are confirmed by the above method. The GCs nuclear condensed and tended marginization in morphology, as well as apoptotic bodies was oberserved by TEM. Above results suggested that the GCs apoptosis of atretic antral follicles exists in buffalo and the GCs apoptosis are the potential mechanism of arosing antral follicles atresia in buffalo.

Key words: buffalo, apoptosis, transmit electronic microscope, follicular granulosa cells, TUNEL