Sharpe R M, Fraser H M, Ratnasooriya W D
MRC Reproductive Biology Unit, Centre for Reproductive Biology, Edinburgh, U.K.
Int J Androl. 1988 Dec;11(6):507-23. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.1988.tb01024.x.
Adult male rats were treated with ethane dimethanesulphonate (EDS) to destroy the Leydig cells and were then supplemented for 3-10 weeks with testosterone esters (TE) by injection every 3 days. The latter treatment prevented Leydig cell regeneration but maintained quantitatively the androgen-dependent aspects of spermatogenesis, as judged by germ cell counts at stage VII of the spermatogenic cycle. Other than the absence of Leydig cells, the testes of EDS-treated, TE-supplemented rats showed only two morphological changes, (1) the appearance of mast cells throughout the interstitium, and (2) a 3- to 4-fold increase in the number of degenerating germ cells (secondary spermatocytes) at stages XIV-I; this was reflected in a significant decrease in the ratio of spermatids to pachytene spermatocytes at stage VII. These changes were not observed in either oil-treated or TE-treated control rats although similar, but less marked, changes in cell degeneration at stages XIV-I were observed in rats actively immunized against oxytocin. Epididymal sperm number was reduced marginally (approximately 15%) in EDS-treated, TE-supplemented rats while sperm motility was affected even less. In a serial mating trial, some of these treated rats showed evidence of subfertility/infertility, but this was mostly transient and may have been the result of epididymal effects of EDS. These results suggest that Leydig cell products other than testosterone are not essential for maintenance of spermatogenesis and fertility in rats, although because of increased germ cell degeneration during the final stages of meiosis (perhaps as the result of oxytocin withdrawal), a small reduction in sperm count may occur.
成年雄性大鼠用乙烷二甲磺酸盐（EDS）处理以破坏睾丸间质细胞，然后每3天注射一次睾酮酯（TE），持续补充3 - 10周。根据生精周期第VII阶段的生殖细胞计数判断，后一种处理可防止睾丸间质细胞再生，但在数量上维持了精子发生的雄激素依赖性方面。除了没有睾丸间质细胞外，经EDS处理并补充TE的大鼠睾丸仅表现出两种形态学变化：（1）整个间质中肥大细胞的出现；（2）在第XIV - I阶段退化生殖细胞（次级精母细胞）数量增加3至4倍；这反映在第VII阶段精子细胞与粗线期精母细胞的比例显著下降。在油处理或TE处理的对照大鼠中未观察到这些变化，尽管在主动免疫抗催产素的大鼠中在第XIV - I阶段观察到类似但不太明显的细胞退化变化。经EDS处理并补充TE的大鼠附睾精子数量略有减少（约15%），而精子活力受影响更小。在连续交配试验中，一些经处理大鼠表现出亚生育力/不育的迹象，但这大多是短暂的，可能是EDS对附睾影响的结果。这些结果表明，除睾酮外，睾丸间质细胞产物对于维持大鼠精子发生和生育力并非必不可少，尽管由于减数分裂最后阶段生殖细胞退化增加（可能是催产素撤离的结果），精子数量可能会略有减少。
