A Najafpour - Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, IslamicAzad University, Urmia Branch, Urmia, Iran
K Akhtari - Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, IslamicAzad University, Urmia Branch, Urmia, Iran
M Razi - Department of Comparative Histology and Embryology, Faculty ofVeterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
K Abdi - Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, IslamicAzad University, Urmia Branch, Urmia, Iran

To determine the effect of bilateral uterine artery ligation (BUAL) on mast cell (MC) distribution, 24 mature female rabbits were studied. Therabbits were ovariohysterectomized on day 23, 43 or 63 following BUAL. Histological sections were stained with toluidine blue to determine the MCdistribution. In rabbits that had undergone BUAL, MCs were present extensively in the helium of the treated ovaries, in dense groups close to theblood vessels. In the control group, MCswere observed at amedium density around the blood vessels and the number of MCs in the reproductive tractwas significantly ( 0.01) lower than in the test groups. This study demonstrates that, after BUAL, the distribution and numbers of MCs differbetween different parts of the reproductive system

Mast cells; bilateral uterine artery ligation;reproductive system; blood vessels