Effects of obstruction of the flow of seminiferous tubule fluid on the germinal epithelium in the rat

Pilsworth, L M C; Hinton, Barry T.; Setchell, B. P.

doi:10.1530/jrf.0.0630347

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 20 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, by that time, the Cr-EDTA space has fallen again to well below the interstitial tissue volume, suggesting that the barrier has been re-established. The interpretation of these findings is complicated by the observation that the introduction of a plug of non-toxic latex into a single seminiferous tubule produces a very similar lesion to that seen after efferent duct ligation (Pilsworth et al 1981). It is hard to see how the tubular barrier would be affected by a blockage in the lumen, so perhaps the flow of fluid along the tubule is also important for normal spermatogenesis, and the normal flow of luminal fluid would probably be severely disrupted after efferent duct ligation.…”

Section: The Tubular Barriermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Movement of Fluids and Substances in the Testis

Setchell¹

1986

Aust. Jnl. Of Bio. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Three aspects of the control of movements of fluids and substances into, out of and inside the testis are discussed: the tubular barrier, the interstitial extracellular fluid and the testicular blood vessels. The functional basis for the tubular barrier is twofold; there are significant differences in the concentration of many substances inside and outside the tubules and marker substances enter or leave the tubular fluid at widely different rates, depending on lipid solubility and the presence of specific carrier systems. The anatomical basis for this barrier appears to be the specialized junctions between adjacent pairs of Sertoli cells. The barrier develops only at puberty, as the first cells undergo meiosis, but the development may not be as sudden as previously believed. The barrier breaks down after efferent duct ligation when spermatogenesis is disrupted. Techniques for measuring the volume, the turnover rate, the composition and fate of the interstitial extracellular fluid are described, and the unsatisfactory features of the presently available techniques for collecting this fluid for analysis are emphasized. There is a relationship between the fluid in the testis and lymph from vessels in the spermatic cord and lymph may be important for the transport of hormones to the general circulation in some circumstances and to other organs close to the testis. The testicular blood vessels display certain unusual features, a very high susceptibility to the toxic effects of cadmium salts, a high level of alkaline phosphatase activity in all endothelial cells but only after puberty and a high level of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase in the endothelial cells of the arterioles and the testicular artery. These same cells are the site for a specific transport system for leucine and phenylalanine, with kinetic characteristics similar to the system in brain. Flow of blood may limit hormone secretion by the aspermatogenic testis, but diffusion limitation may also be important under some circumstances. A fuller understanding of the ways in which substances move around in the testis, particularly how they cross the endothelial cell layer or penetrate into the tubules, will be important for a better appreciation of testicular function.

show abstract

Section: The Tubular Barriermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Movement of Fluids and Substances in the Testis

Setchell¹

1986

Aust. Jnl. Of Bio. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Efferent duct ligation has been performed to collect rete testis fluid (Cooper and Waites, 1974;Shabanowitz and Killian, 1987) and to study the effects of depriving the tract downstream of sperm and testicular factors (Abe et al, 1982a;Nicander et al, 1983;Delongeas et al, 1987). Ligation of the efferent ducts causes rapid and extensive degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium, with loss of most or all germ cells and cessation of sperm production (Harrison, 1953;Collins and Tsang, 1979;Pilsworth et al, 1981). The responses of the testis to vasectomy are varied, although testicular alterations have been reported in most species studied, including humans (Bedford, 1976;Flickinger, 1985;Jarow et al, 1985Jarow et al, , 1994.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Effects on the testis of epididymal obstruction in adults (usually unilateral) have varied, with some authors reporting substantial testicular damage (Harrison and Macmillan, 1954;Vare and Bansal, 1974), while others have observed that deleterious changes are followed by recovery (Baillie, 1962;Paufler and Foote, 1969). Among the possible mechanisms of testicular damage after epididymal obstruction are increased pressure in the seminiferous tubules (Vare and Bansal, 1974;Paufler and Foote, 1969), accumulation of metabolites (Pilsworth et al, 1981), and absence of substances secreted by the epididymis (Paufler and Foote, 1969;Soler et al, 1990). However, since antisperm autoantibodies rise after epididymal obstruction (Flickinger et al, 1998), an autoimmune reaction may also cause testicular changes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium following epididymal obstruction in prepubertal rats

et al. 1999

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The development of the testes was studied in rats following prepubertal obstruction of the epididymis. Male rats received bilateral ligation of the corpus epididymidis or a sham operation at 10 days of age, and temporal changes in testicular morphology and weights of reproductive organs were determined at intervals spanning sexual maturation. Development of the testes was normal through 35 days of age. The initial histological changes in the testes of ligated animals, observed at 56 days, included an increased diameter of the seminiferous tubule lumen, depletion of spermatids, and the presence of multinucleate spermatids. Subsequently, germ cells were greatly depleted in the testes of 91- and 128-day-old rats with ligated epididymides. After puberty, testicular weight and volume declined relative to corresponding sham-operated animals. On the other hand, the weights of the epididymides in ligated animals prior to puberty significantly exceeded those of sham-operated rats but weighed significantly less than those of rats in the sham group after sexual maturation. Testicular alterations occurred after increases in the weights of the epididymides. Testicular changes may have contributed to rather than resulted from an autoimmune response to spermatozoa because testicular alterations preceded increases in antisperm autoantibodies.

show abstract

“…As shown by Tung & Fritz (1978), immunization against pachytene spermatocytes results in severe testicular damage. Pilsworth, Hinton & Setchell (1981) reported that disruption of the flow of seminiferous tubule fluid caused damage even at a considerable distance from the site of obstruction. Removal of a biopsy will necessarily disrupt a number of tubules, and hence it seems probable that some of the lesions found in the present study were caused by such mechanisms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restricted lesions after testicular biopsies in young and adult rats

Sjögren

Plöen

1988

Int J of Andrology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In order to evaluate the possible harmful effects of surgical removal of a testicular biopsy, adult and immature rats were subjected to unilateral testicular biopsy and were studied 2-4 months later. One group of adult rats were sham-operated. Perfusion-fixed, plastic-embedded specimens of the testes were examined by light microscopy. No morphological differences were found between rats that were immature and those that were adult at the time of biopsy. The lesions observed were focal and occurred only in the vicinity of the site of biopsy. Only about 0.5% (range 0.01-4.5) of the testis was affected. No morphological signs of any immune reaction were observed. It is suggested that the lesions are caused mainly by interference with local blood flow, and to a minor extent by disruption of the flow of seminiferous tubule fluid.

show abstract

Effects of obstruction of the flow of seminiferous tubule fluid on the germinal epithelium in the rat

Cited by 9 publications

References 20 publications

The Movement of Fluids and Substances in the Testis

The Movement of Fluids and Substances in the Testis

Degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium following epididymal obstruction in prepubertal rats

Restricted lesions after testicular biopsies in young and adult rats

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About