Histological effects of vitamin A deprivation on estrogen-induced development of chick oviduct.

Historical examination of the oviduct magnum of vitamin A [68-26-8]-deprived and corresponding vitamin A-repleted control chicks given injections of 17\beta-estradiol benzoate [50-50-0] for 6 consecutive days revealed that, as compared with the control birds, in the vitamin A-deficient chicks the lobes were much smaller and contained considerably less acini per unit area (80.5 \times 103 \mum2); the size of the acini and the height of the epithelium were markedly increased. Clumps of protodifferentiated cells were frequently seen in the epithelium as well as in the subepithelial regions of the deficient oviduct, whereas they were less frequent in the normal controls. Mitosis could not be detected in the vitamin A-deficient magnum, whereas it was frequently encountered in the control birds. The luminal side of the epithelium as well as the secretions of the oviduct into the lumen showed very strong PAS- and alcian blue-pos. reactions in the deficient tissue, whereas these reactions were very faint in the normal controls. It is suggested that in the absence of sufficient supply of retinol, the normal processes of division and differentiation of the primitive epithelial cells of chick oviduct under estrogen stimulation are grossly affected.