Diethylstilbestrol induces morphological changes in the spermatogonia, Sertoli cells and Leydig cells of adult rat

It is now established that diethylstilbestrol (DES) has damaging effects on the male reproductive system. However, to date there have been no studies morphological analysis of adult rat testes upon treatment with DES. Here, we examined whether DES has any significant morphological effect on steroido...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in veterinary science 2019-06, Vol.124, p.433-438
Main Authors: Rahman, Md. Mahfujur, Wie, Jehyung, Cho, Jeong-Hwi, Tae, Hyun-Jin, Ahn, Dongchoon, Lee, Seok Won, Kim, In-Shik, Park, Byung-Yong
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult rat
Apoptosis
Diethylstibestrol
Diethylstilbestrol
Estrogens
Fertility
Labeling
Laboratory animals
Leydig cells
Males
Microscopy
Morphology
Reproductive system
Rodents
Sertoli cells
Spermatogenesis
Spermatogonia
Steroidogenesis
Testes
Time dependence
Veterinary medicine
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Summary:It is now established that diethylstilbestrol (DES) has damaging effects on the male reproductive system. However, to date there have been no studies morphological analysis of adult rat testes upon treatment with DES. Here, we examined whether DES has any significant morphological effect on steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis. DES was injected subcutaneously at 3 μg/day and 30 μg/day in adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats for two different treatment lengths (1 or 3 weeks), after which rats were necropsied. TUNEL labeling, cell counting, and morphological analysis were used to evaluate the effects of DES. A high dose of DES and longer exposure severely affected the cellular development of the testis. Specifically, DES treatment disrupted both steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis by decreasing the number of spermatogonia, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Thus, DES may account for decreases in the number of spermatogenic cells, Sertoli cells and Leydig cells, which in turn may lead to reduced fertility in males. •Diethylstilbestrol treatment disrupted both steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis.•Diethylstilbestrol treatment decreased the number of spermatogonia, Sertoli cells, Leydig cells.•Diethylstilbestrol may lead to reduced fertility in males.
ISSN:0034-5288
1532-2661
DOI:10.1016/j.rvsc.2019.04.015