The Effect of Local Testicular Irradiation on Testicular Histology and Plasma Hormone Levels in the Male Rat

Abstract

Adult male rats were subjected to local testicular irradiation, plasma hormone levels and testicular histology being quantified at intervals up to 52 days thereafter. LH and FSH increased coincidently with spermatid but not with spermatocyte or spermatogonia depletion. Testosterone levels seemed to decrease but this effect was not significant. Oestradiol levels showed no significant changes. From the correlations between the various parameters it was concluded that the lack of inhibin was the main cause of the increase in both LH and FSH and that spermatids provide the signal for production of this non-steroidal inhibitor. The site of inhibin production was not definitively established but the results would be consistent with production of inhibin by the Sertoli cells in association with spermatids.

Protective effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate plus testosterone against radiation-induced damage to the reproductive function of male rats and their offspring.

“…It is well known that exposure of the rat testis to 3 Gy of x-rays kills most cycling spermatogonia (18)(19)(20). The disappearance of these cells causes a maturation-depletion process resulting in a progressive and sequential decrease in the number of the subsequent germ cell types from spermatocytes to spermatids and therefore eventually of spermatozoa.…”

Effect of an acute exposure of rat testes to gamma rays on germ cells and on Sertoli and Leydig cell functions

“…However, the same authors have observed that the decrease in testicular blood flow induced by irradiation can lead to a slight decrease in the total amount of testosterone entering the general circulation. In the present study in which y rays were used in the same way as X-rays in previous studies (Hopkinson et al, 1978;Main et al, 1978;Delic et al, 1986) (Delic et al, 1986), but has more often been considered to result from the changes induced in the cell-to-cell interactions between the seminiferous tubules and the interstitial compartment (Risbridger et al, 1981 b).…”

“…Spermatogonia are known to be the most radiosensitive cells in the testis, but if the radiation dose is higher, more differentiated cells can also be destroyed (Shaver, 1953;Oakberg and Di Minno, 1960 Huckins, 1978;Hopkinson et al, 1978;Main et al, 1978;Wang et al, 1983;Pinon-Lataillade et al, 1985;Delic et al, 1986;Kamtchouing et al, 1988;Pineau et al, 1989 (Parvinen, 1982; Sharpe, 1986;J6gou et al, 1988;Verhoeven and Cailleau, 1989 (J6gou et al, 1988). One possible approach to the investigation of this complex aspect of the paracrine regulation of spermatogenesis has been to use different protocols of irradiation which, in vivo, were found to induce different degrees of seminiferous epithelium modification (Rich and De Kretser, 1977;Hopkinson et al, 1978;Vihko et al, 1984;PinonLataillade et al, 1985PinonLataillade et al, , 1988Pineau et al, 1989;Kangasniemi et al, 1990a, b). De (Setchell et al, 1977;Weinbauer et al, 1989) The detection limits were 100 ng/ml for FSH and 0.6 ng/mi for LH, and the intra-assay coefficient of variation was 10% for both.…”

Feedback Control of FSH Secretion in the Male Rat

“…Irradiation was followed at 17-30 days by a rise in serum FSH levels without significant alteration in the serum LH levels. The rise in serum FSH following irradiation has been variously reported to occur earlier (Bain and Keene, 1975;Verjans and Eik-Nes, 1976) or later (Main etal., 1976;Hopkinson et al, 1978) than reported here. Moreover, Hopkinson et al (1978) reported a concomitant rise in both LH and FSH levels after irradiation, a difference with our findings which may reflect the lower dose of irradiation (300 rad) used by these authors.…”