Morton D
Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801.
Environ Health Perspect. 1988 Apr;77:5-9. doi: 10.1289/ehp.88775.
The rabbit is the smallest and least expensive laboratory animal in which serial semen samples can be obtained for morphologic, biochemical, and fertility evaluation. The female rabbit has a predictable reproductive cycle and can be artificially inseminated with a known amount of sperm during fertility testing. These advantages make the rabbit an extremely valuable model for studying the effects of chemicals or other stimuli on the male reproductive system. Quantitative evaluation of the testis, semen, and accessory reproductive organs is important in order to detect subtle effects of a chemical on reproductive capacity. Evaluation of testis size, serum hormone concentrations, and the number, morphology, motility, and fertility of sperm in the ejaculate can be performed serially in the live rabbit. Weights of testes and accessory reproductive organs, estimates of daily sperm production, and histomorphometric data on the seminiferous epithelium can be obtained after sacrifice. Multinucleated spermatids, focal tubular hypospermatogenesis, swelling of spermatocytes, and cytoplasmic vacuoles in Sertoli's cells occur commonly in testes of control rabbits. These changes may be confused with toxic lesions. The incidence of multinucleated spermatids may be increased by stress associated with handling or the environment. Histomorphometric evaluation may be required to prove that a test compound has an adverse effect on the male reproductive system.
兔子是可获取系列精液样本以进行形态学、生物化学和生育力评估的最小且最经济的实验动物。雌性兔子具有可预测的生殖周期，在生育力测试期间可用已知数量的精子进行人工授精。这些优势使兔子成为研究化学物质或其他刺激对雄性生殖系统影响的极有价值的模型。为检测化学物质对生殖能力的细微影响，对睾丸、精液和附属生殖器官进行定量评估很重要。可在活体兔子身上连续进行睾丸大小、血清激素浓度以及射精中精子数量、形态、活力和生育力的评估。处死兔子后可获得睾丸和附属生殖器官的重量、每日精子生成量的估计值以及生精上皮的组织形态计量学数据。多核精子细胞、局灶性生精小管生精作用低下、精母细胞肿胀以及支持细胞中的细胞质空泡在对照兔子的睾丸中很常见。这些变化可能会与毒性损伤相混淆。与处理或环境相关的应激可能会增加多核精子细胞的发生率。可能需要进行组织形态计量学评估以证明受试化合物对雄性生殖系统有不良影响。
