Sinha Hikim A P, Bartke A, Russell L D
Department of Physiology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Carbondale 62901-6512.
Biol Reprod. 1988 Dec;39(5):1225-37. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod39.5.1225.
This study provides quantitative information on the testes of seasonally breeding golden hamsters during active and regressed states of gonadal activity. Seminiferous tubules occupied 92.5% of testis volume in adult gonadally active animals. Leydig cells constituted 1.4% of the testicular volume. The mean volume of an individual Leydig cell was 1092 microns 3, and each testis contained about 25.4 million Leydig cells. The volume of an average Sertoli cell nucleus during stage VII-VIII of the cycle was 502 microns 3. A gram of hamster testis during the active state of gonadal activity contained 44.5 million Sertoli cells, and the entire testis contained approximately 73.8 million Sertoli cells. Testes of the hamsters exposed to short photoperiods for 12-13 wk displayed a 90% reduction in testis volume that was associated with a decrease in the volume of seminiferous tubules (90.8% reduction), tubular lumena (98.8%), interstitium (72.7%), Leydig cell compartment (79.3%), individual Leydig cells (69.7%), Leydig cell nuclei (50.0%), blood vessels (85.5%), macrophages (68.9%), and Sertoli cell nuclei (34.1%). The diameter (61.1%) and the length (36.8%) of the seminiferous tubules were also decreased. Although the number of Leydig cells per testis was significantly lower (p less than 0.02) after short-photoperiod exposure, the number of Sertoli cells per testis remained unchanged. The individual Sertoli cell in gonadally active hamsters accommodated, on the average, 2.27 pre-leptotene spermatocytes, 2.46 pachytene spermatocytes, and 8.17 round spermatids; the corresponding numbers in the regressed testes were 0.96, 0.20, and 0.04, respectively. The striking differences in the testicular structure between the active and regressed states of gonadal activity follow photoperiod-induced changes in endocrine function and suggest that the golden hamster may be used as a model to study structure-function relationships in the testis.
本研究提供了季节性繁殖的金黄仓鼠在性腺活动活跃和消退状态下睾丸的定量信息。在成年性腺活动活跃的动物中，生精小管占睾丸体积的92.5%。间质细胞占睾丸体积的1.4%。单个间质细胞的平均体积为1092立方微米，每个睾丸约含2540万个间质细胞。在周期的VII - VIII阶段，支持细胞核的平均体积为502立方微米。在性腺活动活跃状态下，一克仓鼠睾丸含有4450万个支持细胞，整个睾丸约含7380万个支持细胞。暴露于短光照周期12 - 13周的仓鼠睾丸体积减少了90%，这与生精小管体积减少（90.8%）、管腔（98.8%）、间质（72.7%）、间质细胞区室（79.3%）、单个间质细胞（69.7%）、间质细胞核（50.0%）、血管（85.5%）、巨噬细胞（68.9%）和支持细胞核（34.1%）有关。生精小管的直径（61.1%）和长度（36.8%）也减小了。尽管短光照周期暴露后每个睾丸中间质细胞的数量显著减少（p小于0.02），但每个睾丸中支持细胞的数量保持不变。性腺活动活跃的仓鼠中，单个支持细胞平均容纳2.27个前细线期精母细胞、2.46个粗线期精母细胞和8.17个圆形精子细胞；在消退的睾丸中，相应的数量分别为0.96、0.20和0.04。性腺活动活跃和消退状态下睾丸结构的显著差异遵循光周期诱导的内分泌功能变化，这表明金黄仓鼠可作为研究睾丸结构 - 功能关系的模型。
