Histological structure and functional properties of the tunica albuginea of the ovary

Year 2025, Volume: 18 Issue: 2, 20 - 20

Hale Yetgin , Murat Serkant Ünal , Cihan Kabukçu , Ahmet Çevik Tufan

https://doi.org/10.31362/patd.1467619

Abstract

Just below the surface epithelium of the ovary is the tunica albuginea, which is a tight irregular connective tissue structure that gives the tissue its white color and contains fibroblast cells. Tunica albuginea, which is more resistant to environmental factors, contains fewer cells and is rich in collagen fibers, is observed as the niche of preantral follicles. It has been observed that fibroblasts forming collagen fibers provide the development of follicles with the paracrine factors and cytokines they secrete and function as a nourishing cell layer. After the graaf follicle forms the corpus luteum, fibroblasts in the adjacent tunica albuginea proliferate and the thickness of this structure increases. The tunica albuginea undergoes frequent renewal due to the corpus luteum structures formed in rats. When the corpus luteum is formed, new capillaries and venules are formed in the adjacent tunica albuginea. This structure may be a suitable model for investigating the migration of cells from the bone marrow to the ovary via vessels. It can be suggested that mesenchymal cells and very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs), which show pluripotent stem cell characteristics, may migrate from the bone marrow to the tunica albuginea through vascular structures and that the bone marrow may be the source of these cells, which have been previously shown to be present in the ovary. The aim of this review is to examine the effects of the tunica albuginea on the development of follicles and the dynamic structure of the ovary.

Keywords

Ovary, tunica albuginea, collagen fibers, follicle, corpus luteum

Ovaryum tunika albugineasının histolojik yapısı ve fonksiyonel özellikleri

Abstract

Ovaryumda yüzey epitelinin hemen altında dokuya beyaz rengini veren, sıkı düzensiz bir bağ doku yapısında olan ve içinde fibroblast hücrelerini içeren tunika albuginea bulunur. Çevresel etkenlere daha dirençli olan, az sayıda hücre içeren ve kollajen liflerden zengin olan tunika albuginea preantral foliküllerin nişi olarak gözlenmektedir. Kollajen lifleri oluşturan fibroblastların salgıladıkları parakrin faktörlerle ve sitokinlerle foliküllerin gelişimlerini sağladıkları ve besleyici hücre tabakası gibi fonksiyon gördükleri izlenmiştir. Graaf folikülün korpus luteumu oluşturmasından sonra ise hemen bitişiğindeki tunika albugineadaki fibroblastların prolifere olduğu ve bu yapının kalınlığının arttığı izlenmiştir. Ratlarda oluşan korpus luteum yapıları nedeniyle tunika albuginea sık sık yenilenmeye uğramaktadır. Korpus luteum oluştuğu zaman bitişiğindeki tunika albugineada yeni kapillerler ve venüller meydana gelmektedir. Bu yapı; hücrelerin kemik iliğinden, damarlarla ovaryuma migrasyonlarının araştırılması için uygun bir model olabilir. Mezenkimal hücrelerin ve pluripotent kök hücre özelliği gösteren çok küçük embriyonik benzeri kök hücrelerin (VSELs) vasküler yapılar aracılığıyla kemik iliğinden tunika albugineaya gelebileceği ve ovaryumda bulundukları daha önce gösterilen bu hücrelerin kaynağının kemik iliği olabileceği ileri sürülebilir. Bu derlemedeki amacımız tunika albugineanın foliküllerin gelişimine ve ovaryumun dinamik yapısı üzerine olan etkilerini incelemektir.

Keywords

Ovaryum, tunika albuginea, kollajen lifler, folikül, korpus luteum

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