The Effects of Alloxan Diabetes on the Reproductive System of Young Male Rats

Abstract

Male rats 23 days of age were rendered diabetic by subcutaneous injections of alloxan. Diabetes was determined one week later on the basis of urine sugar concentration. At regular intervals following treatment animals were sacrificed and the testes, seminal vesicles and prostate gland removed for histological study. Severe diabetes resulted in failure of descent of the testes, failure of development of the germinal epithelium and castrate-type accessory organs. A more moderate diabetic condition resulted in delayed testicular descent, delayed onset of spermatogenesis and development of accessory structures. Control rats maintained on an inadequate diet were comparable to the moderate diabetics. Treatment with insulin corrected all the deleterious effects of diabetes on the reproductive system. In diabetic animals, not receiving insulin, treatment with chorionic gonadotrophin resulted in hypertrophy of interstitial cells and some development of accessory structures, but did not bring about testicular descent nor onset of spermatogenesis. Treatment with testosterone stimulated accessory structures, but did not affect testicular descent.Numerous studies, both of a clinical and experimental nature, have been made regarding the effects of diabetes on the reproductive behavior in the female. Less attention seem to have been paid to the effects in the male. Bergqvist (1954) has reviewed the material pertinent to sterility in human male diabetics and on the basis of the observed decrease in excretion of 17-ketosteroids con¬ cluded that the results indicate one or more of three possibilities. First, that diabetes in its disturbance of body metabolism involves also a disturbance of

Effects of experimental diabetes on the structure and ultrastructure of the coagulating gland of C57BL/6J and NOD mice

“…The occurrence of glycosuria is one of the determining factors in the identification of diabetes type I; it has been demonstrated both in animals submitted to different diabetogenic drugs and in spontaneously diabetic animals (Hunt and Bailey, 1961;Makino et al, 1980;Ader et al, 1998). Thus, it may be concluded that both the mice submitted to chemical induction with alloxan and the mice with spontaneously generated diabetes (NOD) manifested diabetes in an effective manner, confirming the validity of the experimental model.…”

“…Particularly important among these changes was stromal tissue hypertrophy with the occurrence of an inflammatory cell infiltrate, in addition to intense volumetric atrophy of secretory epithelial cells, with a predominance of the cytoplasmic portion and nuclear deformity in the coagulation gland. Previous studies on the ventral lobe of the prostate of diabetic rats and mice demonstrated atrophy of the secretory epithelial cells and enlargement of the stromal region (Hunt and Bailey, 1961;Jackson and Hutson, 1984;Cagnon et al, 2000). Several experiments carried out to analyze accessory sex glands, including the coagulation gland, under androgen deprivation showed a disorganized morphology of the secretory epithelium and the stroma, with an increase in smooth muscle cells and collagen, and elastic fibers in the ventral lobe of the prostate of castrated rats (Aumü ller, 1977;Mariotti et al, 1987;De Carvalho and Line, 1996;Kiess and Gallaher, 1998).…”

Impaired ³H-Testosterone Uptake and Metabolism in the Accessory Sex Glands of Diabetic Castrated Male Rats

“…Recently, atten tion has also been paid to the dysfunction o f the male reproductive organs in experimental and spontaneous diabetic conditions. Testicular lesions in diabetic patients have been described by Schoffling et al (1963) and the deleterious effects o f alloxan diabetes on the germinal epithelium o f male rats have been reported by several investigators (Soulairac et al, 1948;Hunt and Bailey, 1961;Federlin et al, 1965;Schoffling et al, 1967). Hunt and Bailey (1961) also showed that following the induction o f alloxan diabetes in immature male rats, tire accessory sex glands remained in a state resembling that occurring after castration.…”

“…Testicular lesions in diabetic patients have been described by Schoffling et al (1963) and the deleterious effects o f alloxan diabetes on the germinal epithelium o f male rats have been reported by several investigators (Soulairac et al, 1948;Hunt and Bailey, 1961;Federlin et al, 1965;Schoffling et al, 1967). Hunt and Bailey (1961) also showed that following the induction o f alloxan diabetes in immature male rats, tire accessory sex glands remained in a state resembling that occurring after castration. On the other hand, Lostroh (1968Lostroh ( , 1971 has demonstrated in vitro the synergism o f insulin and testosterone in tire maintenance o f the growth and secretory activity o f cultured prostatic epithelium.…”

“…The harmful effects o f diabetes on male reproductive processes have been considered by some investigators to be mediated through the hypothalamichypophyseal-gonadal axis {Hunt and Bailey, 1961\Foglia et a l, 1963, Schoffling et a l, 1967, the alterations being indicative of lrypogonadotrophic hypogo nadism. However, Faerman et al (1974) have shown the testicular androgen biosynthesis to be unaltered in diabetic men.…”