| Disease | ADULT MALE RATS, WEIGHING 250-300 G, WERE DIVIDED INTO 2 GROUPS OF 10 ANIMALS EACH. T4, A COMPOUND ISOLATED FROM T.WILFORDII, 50 MCG/KG/DAY WAS GIVEN BY GASTRIC GAVAGE TO THE TREATED RATS FOR 7 WEEKS WHEREAS THE CONTROLS RECEIVED THE VEHICLE
ONLY. THEN THE ANIMALS WERE SACRIFICED AND THE TESTIS AND EPIDIDYMIS EMBEDDED IN EPON 618. SEMI-THIN SECTIONS WERE PREPARED AND STAINED WITH TULUIDINE BLUE FOR LIGHT MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION. ULTRATHIN SECTIONS WERE MADE FOR ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC
EXAMINATION. IN THE SEMINIFEROUS TUBULE LUMEN, PLENTY OF EXFOLIATED CELLS, MAINLY SPERMATIDS AND OCCASIONALLY PACHYTENE SPERMATOCYTES, COULD BE FOUND. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WERE SEEN IN SPERMATIDS DURING SPERMIGENESIS. THERE WAS A GREAT
DEAL OF MULTITAILED SPERM IN THE LUMEN. 2-11 FLAGELLA WERE FOUND WITHIN LATE STAGE SPERMATIDS. THE STRUCTURE OF EARLY STAGE SPERMATIDS, SPERMATOCYTES AND THE BASEMENT MEMBRANE WERE NORMAL. IN SERTOLI CELLS, VACUOLES SEEMED TO BE SLIGHTLY
INCREASED IN NUMBER. THE STRUCTURE OF LEYDIG CELLS WERE NORMAL, THE D. OF SPERM IN THE EPIDIDYMA WAS SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASED AS COMPARED WITH THE CONTROLS. MANY CLEAR CELLS PRESENTED LYSOSOME-LIKE GRANULES WITH DIFFERENT D. IN THE EPIDIDYMAL
EPITHELIUM. THE EPIDIDYMAL PRINCIPAL CELLS SHOWED FEWER STEREOCILIA AND MORE VACUOLES. UNDER ELECTRON MICROSCOPE, THE DEGENERATED MITOCHONDRIA WERE ENLARGED AND THE CRISTAE WERE BROKEN OR HAD DISAPPEARED, WHILE THE ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM AND
GOLGI APPARATUS, SEEMED TO BE NORMAL. THIS STUDY SUGGESTS THAT T4 MAINLY AFFECTS SPERMIOGENESIS AND MAY ALSO HAVE INFLUENCE ON EPIDIDYMAL STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION. |