Journal
FERTILITY AND STERILITY
Volume 88, Issue -, Pages 1212-1219Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC
DOI: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.01.209
Keywords
cervical mucus; exosome; menstrual cycle; pregnancy; sialidase
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Objective: To study endogenous sialidase activity in genital tract secretions of pregnant and nonpregnant women. Design: Laboratory study. Setting: Department of Evolutionary Biology and Department of Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine, University of Siena, Siena, Italy. Intervention(s): Vaginal and cervical mucus samples were obtained from pregnant and nonpregnant women in different phases of the menstrual cycle and in different weeks of pregnancy. Main Outcome Measure(s): Sialidase activity was assessed by fluorimetric assay and localized by transmission electron microscopy and differential centrifugation. Result(s): Sialidase activity in cervical mucus of healthy women reaches a maximum in the ovulatory phase. Cervical mucus from pregnant and nonpregnant women had significant sialidase activity that was associated with membranous vesicles having an exosome-like structure. Conclusion(S): Female cervical mucus contains an endogenous menstrual cycle-related sialidase that could be involved in modifying the rheologic properties of mucus to favor sperm progression at fertilization. Its association with exosome-like vesicles also suggests a role in intercellular communication before and after fertilization. (Fertil Steril (R) 2007;88(Suppl 2):1212-9. (C)2007 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)
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