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Uterine collagen content in young and senescent pregnant golden hamsters

The most prominent histological feature in ageing of the rodent uterus is the accumulation of collagen. There is a progressive increase in connective tissue between the two muscle layers, stroma, and around the blood vessels. Polytocous laboratory mammals exhibit four characteristic phases during their reproductive lifetime: (1) a gradual increase in litter size, (2) a relatively constant litter size, (3) a decline in litter size, and (4) a failure to reproduce (Biggers, Finn & McLaren, 1962). In golden hamsters this decline begins at approximately 14 months of age (Soderwall, Kent, Turbyfill & Britenbaker, 1960), and is not caused by a depletion of oocytes, since some females continue to ovulate adequate numbers of eggs although the female fails to produce any offspring (Harman & Talbert, 1970). The ageing uterus is generally considered as the organ most responsible for a reduction of offspring (Finn, 1970). The amount of collagen increases in the uterus with age (Finn, Fitch & Harkness, 1963, Schaub, 1964; Maurer & Foote, 1972), and it has been suggested that increased deposition of collagen might impair uterine function, possibly by interfering with vascularization (Biggers et al., 1962). We therefore investigated this in young and old golden hamsters.