Hamidatou Khati Wissam, Hammouche Sadjia
Biological Sciences Faculty, Aride Area Research Laboratory, USTHB, University of Sciences and Technology of Houari Boumediene, Algiers, Algeria.
Anat Histol Embryol. 2021 Mar;50(2):324-332. doi: 10.1111/ahe.12633. Epub 2020 Nov 22.
Our interest in the testicular study of the desert rodent, Gerbillus tarabuli, would provide a better comprehension of the seasonality of spermatogenesis in rodents. We thus performed a biometric, histomorphometric and statistical analyses in Gerbillus tarabuli sexually immature and adult during the annual reproductive cycle (active and regressed states of gonadal activity). For that, fixed testes were embedded in paraffin. Sections were stained using the modified Heidenhain Azan and then were subjected to morphometric measurements at the light microscopic level. The biometric study revealed a positive correlation between the body weight and the maturity state only, with an average of 20.8 ± 2.92 g in sexually immature Gerbils, 37.40 ± 1.86 g in the sexually quiescent adults (p < .01) and 40.40 ± 2.98 g in the sexually active adults (p > .05), while the testes weight (sexually immatures = 0.02 ± 0.003 g, sexually quiescent adults = 0.13 ± 0.01 g; p < .001 and sexually active adults = 0.27 ± 0.01 g; p < .001) and the gonadosomatic index (sexually immatures = 0.09 ± 0.02%, sexually quiescent adults = 0.36 ± 0.04%; p < .01 and sexually active adults = 0.68 ± 0.07%; p < .01) varied according to the maturity state and as well as to the season in the adults. Through the histomorphometric study, the tubular diameter showed a continuous increase from sexually immature Gerbils (72.83 ± 7.57 μm) to sexually quiescent adults (99.45 ± 4.34 μm) p < .05 then to sexually active adults (182.58 ± 5.22 μm); p < .001, this is explained by the appearance of a large lumen after puberty in the quiescent (26.32 ± 1.28 μm); p < .001 and the enlargement of the seminiferous epithelium in actives (75.11 ± 1.81 μm); p < .001. Besides, the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio of Leydig cells (sexually immatures = 0.5 ± 0.02) diminishes significantly after puberty in the rest period (0.42 ± 0.03); p < .05 and then during the active period (0.24 ± 0.01); p < .001. These striking biometric and morphometric differences in Gerbillus tarabuli testis between sexually immature Gerbils, sexually quiescent and active adults, follow the photoperiod-induced changes in endocrine and exocrine functions and prove that Gerbillus tarabuli is a useful model to study histo-physiological relationships in the testis in order to develop a more complete understanding of spermatogenesis phenomenon.
我们对沙漠啮齿动物塔拉布利沙鼠睾丸的研究，将有助于更好地理解啮齿动物精子发生的季节性。因此，我们在塔拉布利沙鼠的年度生殖周期（性腺活动的活跃和衰退状态）中，对性未成熟和成年沙鼠进行了生物测量、组织形态测量和统计分析。为此，将固定好的睾丸包埋在石蜡中。切片用改良的海登海因偶氮染色，然后在光学显微镜下进行形态测量。生物测量研究表明，体重仅与成熟状态呈正相关，性未成熟沙鼠的平均体重为20.8±2.92克，性静止成年沙鼠为37.40±1.86克（p<0.01），性活跃成年沙鼠为40.40±2.98克（p>0.05），而睾丸重量（性未成熟沙鼠=0.02±0.003克，性静止成年沙鼠=0.13±0.01克；p<0.001，性活跃成年沙鼠=0.27±0.01克；p<0.001）和性腺体指数（性未成熟沙鼠=0.09±0.02%，性静止成年沙鼠=0.36±0.04%；p<0.01，性活跃成年沙鼠=0.68±0.07%；p<0.01）随成熟状态以及成年沙鼠的季节变化而变化。通过组织形态测量研究发现，管腔直径从性未成熟沙鼠（72.83±7.57μm）到性静止成年沙鼠（99.45±4.34μm）（p<0.05）再到性活跃成年沙鼠（182.58±5.22μm）持续增加；p<0.001，这是由于青春期后静止期出现大的管腔（26.32±1.28μm）；p<0.001以及活跃期生精上皮增大（75.11±1.81μm）；p<0.001所致。此外，睾丸间质细胞的核质比（性未成熟沙鼠=0.5±0.02）在青春期后的静止期显著降低（0.42±0.03）；p<0.05，然后在活跃期（0.24±0.01）；p<0.001。塔拉布利沙鼠睾丸在性未成熟沙鼠、性静止和性活跃成年沙鼠之间这些显著的生物测量和形态测量差异，遵循了光周期诱导的内分泌和外分泌功能变化，证明塔拉布利沙鼠是研究睾丸组织生理关系以更全面理解精子发生现象的有用模型。
