Orchidopexy restores morphometric-stereologic changes in the caput epididymis and daily sperm production in cryptorchidic mice, although sperm transit time and fertility parameters remain impaired

The Epididymis: Embryology, Structure, Function And Its Role In Fertilization And Infertility

“…However, most epididymal abnormalities are not likely to have contributed to testicular maldescent (Elder, 1992;Han & Kang, 2002). Cryptorchidism is a disease in which the testes and the epididymis are retained in the inguinal tract and the seminiferous tubules become atrophic as a result of the increase in temperature, which does not favor spermatogenesis (Garcia et al, 2011). The incidence of cryptorchidism is 1-4% in human male neonates (Toppari et al, 2001).…”

“…The damage caused by cryptorchidism is reflected in a reduced diameter of the duct and a reduction in the length of the epithelium within the duct, along with the absence of spermatozoa in the lumen of the duct itself (Arrotéia et al, 2005;Garcia et al, 2011) (Figure 8). Alterations in temperature also affect the ionic and protein composition of the cauda fluid, which effects the cauda epithelium by eliminating the special ability of the cauda to store and prolong the life of spermatozoa through the promotion of rapid epididymal transport (Nieschalag et al, 2000).…”

“…Although there is no information on whether epididymal function (and hence sperm maturation) is irreversibly compromised in adult men who were submitted to orchidopexy as children, experimental results in mice indicate that gross and histological alterations caused by www.intechopen.com cryptorchidism can be restored by orchidopexy (Arrotéia et al, 2005;Garcia et al, 2011). However, the decrease in the transit time of the spermatozoa in the epididymis (i.e., acceleration of sperm passage through the epididymal duct) and the reduction of fertility, fecundity and potency observed in cryptorchidic mice were not fully restored following orchidopexy (Garcia et al, 2011).…”

Morphometric-stereological and functional epididymal alterations and a decrease in fertility in rats treated with finasteride and after a 30-day post-treatment recovery period

“…One epididymis from each animal was processed for morphometric-stereological analysis, and the other was processed for transmission electron microscopy. The epididymides were weighed, and the epididymal weight-to-body weight ratio and total epididymal volume (V) were determined as described elsewhere (31). The epididymides were then postfixed with perfusion solution for 4 hours.…”

“…The total duct diameter and area, luminal area, and epithelial height and area were measured using a Â10 objective lens connected to a computer image analysis system (Image Pro Plus 4.5, Media Cybernetics, Inc.). The total duct, epithelial, luminal, and interstitial volumes were calculated (31).…”