Scanning electron microscopical observation of the intramitochondrial body in the bovine corpus luteum during pregnancy and after parturition.

Large luteal cells of the bovine pregnant luteum can be characterized as steroid-producing cells. Mitochondria of these cells contained intramitochondrial bodies (IMB). The three-dimensional structure of the IMB and the degenerative process of luteal cells were as follows: 1) The IMBs were globular or oval, 0.1 to 1.5 microns in diameter. Their outer surfaces were coarse but their cut surfaces were uniform. Their outer surfaces changed from rough to smooth during pregnancy. 2) At the late stage of pregnancy, the large luteal cells lost their cytoplasmic processes, showing the first sign of degeneration at the cell level in such a way that their mitochondrial cristae transformed from tubular to laminar, and that they contained accumulated lipid droplets. 3) After parturition, the IMBs came out from degenerating large luteal cells, and were conveyed by lymphatic capillaries.