Effect of irradiation on testicular cells of opossum.

Five months old male opossums were exposed to 5000 rd wholebody 60Co gamma-radiation. Testes tissues from animals sacrificed at 16, 40 and 90 hours post-irradiation and from nonirradiated animales were used for enzymatic and histological studies. Electrophoretic pattern of lactate dehydrogenase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was slightly disturbed in early hours in irradiated animals, but it did not persist beyond 40 hours postirradiation. Histological study indicates 31% survival of type A spermatogonia suggesting high radioresistance of testes tissue in comparison to other animals.