Histological and ultrastructural studies on the effect of vitamin a depletion and subsequent repletion with vitamin a on germ cells and Sertoli cells in rat testis
Unni, E.; Rao, M.R.; Ganguly, J.
Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 21(4): 180-192
1983
ISSN/ISBN: 0019-5189 PMID: 6662558 Document Number: 203188
Histological and EM studies were carried out on the effect of vitamin A deprivation or retinoic acid supplementation on the testis of rat. At the onset of the deficiency the Sertoli cell-spermatid association is disrupted resulting in sloughing off of the germ cells from the germinal epithelium. At the acutely deficient stage the seminiferous tubules were left with a single layer of spermatogonia and a number of giant cells together with disorganized Sertoli cells. Even though B-type spermatogonia and preleptotene spermatocytes were present in the testis of rats maintained on retinoic acid, many of these were in a degenerated state. Peroxidase perfusion studied showed that the tracer penetrated into the lumen of the seminiferous tubules of the mild deficient and that of the retinoic-acid maintained rats while it was mostly concentrated at the periphery of the tubules of the normal rat testes, thereby indicating disruption of the Sertoli-Sertoli cell junctional complexes and consequently the blood-testis barrier. Supplementation of the retinoate-fed rats with retinyl acetate led to several changes in the seminiferous tubules within 4 days; such as, thinning of the germinal epithelium immediately after the supplementation; re-establishment of the Sertoli-Sertoli cell junctional complexes; cannanulation of the lumen of the tubules; and appearance of pachytene spermatocytes. Examination of the mitotic activity of the spermatogonial compartment revealed marked reduction in the activity in acutely deficient animals while in the retinoate-fed rats it was slightly lower than in controls. Supplementation of the retinoate-treated rats with retinyl acetate led to a gradual increase, with the progress of time, in the percentage of the spermatogonia in mitosis.