Abstract
The plug of mucous filling the cervical canal and the external os is very viscous and adhesive, and when pulled away from the cervix it forms a slimy string which is broken with difficulty. In cases presenting no pelvic pathology the mucous is semi-transparent; when there is a lesion such as an infection, laceration, eversion, or erosion, the cervical mucous tends to become muco-purulent in character and more adhesive. The mucous plug consists very largely of a mucin and water. It presents, unless altered, a very considerable barrier to the passage of spermatozoa.
When a shred of mucous is placed in a test tube with semen and incubated, within 30 min. it becomes dull in appearance and the edges of the shred are frayed and fragmenting; in 12 to 24 hours the shred has entirely disappeared. In control tubes, containing no semen, the mucous shred remains intact and does not change in appearance. This lytic action is influenced by pH. Using phosphate buffers, maximum activity was found to occur in two ranges, pH 5.28 to 5.90 and 7.37 to 8.04. Between these optima the action is less; beyond them, also less; below 4.0 there is no action; above 10 equal digestion occurs in both the control tubes and the tubes containing semen, suggesting a solvent action due to alkalinity.
The lytic action seems to be specific to a high degree. Semen will not digest shreds of fibrin, egg white, or casein, either in acid or alkaline niediuni; it was found to have no effect on small masses of respiratory or salivary mucins. The shreds of cervical mucin are highly resistant to pepsin and trypsin.
The substance responsible for the action is thermolabile; it can be precipitated by phosphomolybdic acid or alcohol; it does not dialyze through a collodion membrane.
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