Effect of photoperiod on testicular histology in golden hamsters and C57 and BALB/C mice.

The effects of different photoperiods (14L:10D, 12L:12D, and 8L:16D) on testes and accessory sex organs were examined in mature male golden hamsters, C57 mice, and Balb/c mice. The seminiferous tubules of hamsters exposed to the 14L:10D and 12L:12D photoperiods contained various stages of spermatogenesis, while the testes of hamsters maintained under the 8L:16D photoperiod were atrophic. The seminal vesicles of hamsters kept under the 14L:10D and 12L:12D photoperiods possessed tall columnar epithelial cells and abundant secretion in the lumen. In contrast, the seminal vesicles of hamsters exposed to the 8L:16D photoperiod had an epithelium made up of low columnar or cuboidal cells and contained a reduced amount of secretion in the lumen. The histological appearances of testes and seminal vesicles of C57 and Balb/c mice exposed to the three different photoperiods were similar.