The estrogen plays a critical role during pregnancy through their receptors. Although the rabbit is
one of the most important lab animal estrogen receptor alpha (ERA) localization on basic cells, newly
discovered cells including telocyte and neuroendocrine cells, vascular compartments and interstitium
during pregnancy not been described. At 0 day pregnancy, the most prominent immunoreactivity was
moderate to ERA and observed on the ciliated cells, secretory cells, blood plasma, and interstitium.
The smooth muscles and the endothelial cells showed mild immunoreactivity to ERA. Lymphocytes
only exhibited strong immunoreactivity to ERA. At 7 days pregnancy moderate immunoreactivity to
ERA observed on ciliated cells, secretory cells, smooth muscles, interstitium, and lymphocytes. Strong
immunoreactivity to ERA detected on endothelial cells and blood plasma. At 14 days of pregnancy,
the most prominent immunoreactivity was strong and detected on ciliated cells, smooth muscles,
lymphocytes, and interstitium. Moderate immunoreactivity detected on endothelial cells and blood
plasma. Secretory cells only exhibited mild immunoreactivity to ERA. At 21 days of pregnancy, the
immunoreactivity to ERA ranged between mild on ciliated cells, smooth muscles, blood plasma and
interstitium and negative on secretory cells, endothelial cells and lymphocytes. Our results indicated
that the frequency and intensity of ERA immunostaining in the rabbit cervix varied on different
structural compartments of the cervix during different pregnancy stages.