The ligamentum infundibulo-cornuale in the pig: morphological and physiological studies of the smooth muscle component

The ligamentum infundibulo-cornuale (LIC) in the pig runs along the anterolateral side of the tubal isthmus, connecting the uterotubal junction and the edge of the infundibulum and has a comparatively well-developed muscular component running under the mesothelium. The well-vascularized smooth muscle cells held close cell-to-cell contacts and received innervation by adrenergic and cholinergic-like nerve terminals. Isolated LIC preparations, collected during oestrus showed a rhythmic spontaneous motility in vitro, the frequency and the relative amplitude of the contractions being highest during the preovulatory period. In vitro, noradrenaline and adrenaline elicited contractile (alpha) and relaxatory (beta) responses, while isoprenaline induced only beta-responses, as demonstrated by pretreatment with selective blockers. Oxytocin, PGF2 alpha and PGE2 always increased the muscular activity of the LIC. Indomethacin inhibited, in a concentration-dependent and reversible manner, the spontaneous motility of the porcine LIC, which could be fully restored by PGF2 alpha, indicating an endogenous local synthesis of prostaglandins in the tissue. The present results suggest that, in the pig, the LIC consists of a well-arranged, richly innervated bulk of smooth muscle which shows rhythmic spontaneous activity at the time of ovulation that could assist ova pick-up.