Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
11
pubmed:dateCreated
1989-11-27
pubmed:abstractText
Androgens drive spermatogenesis by processes that are largely unknown. Direct effects on germ cells and indirect effects mediated via testicular somatic elements are currently under consideration, and specific localization of androgens in seminiferous tubules may provide information as regards this. Adult male rats were injected with ethane dimethanesulfonate (EDS; 75 mg/kg body weight) or vehicle. Testes were fixed and paraffin-embedded for localization of testosterone immunoreactivity 1 and 2 weeks after treatment, using the unlabeled antibody (PAP) technique. Plasma testosterone dropped from a pre-treatment level of 2.3 ng/ml to below 0.2 ng/ml 3 days after EDS injection and remained at low levels until the end of observation, accompanied by a progressive decrease in testicular weight. In the seminiferous tubules of vehicle-injected males, testosterone immunoreactivity was found in nuclei of spermatocytes and spermatids and in nuclei and the cytoplasm of Sertoli cells, and showed typical variations according to the stage of spermatogenesis. One week after EDS treatment, immunoreactivity had disappeared from the seminiferous epithelium. Two weeks after treatment, staining of germ cells was detected in two out of four males. The disappearance and reappearance of immunoreactivity coincided with the time course of EDS effects on rat Leydig cells, and we conclude that it corresponds to androgen specifically localized in fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue. Because staining of germ cell nuclei varied with the stage of spermatogenesis, the technique may detect a physiologically relevant androgen fraction; its location suggests that androgens may also directly affect certain germ cell stages.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Nov
pubmed:issn
0022-1554
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
37
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
1667-73
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
1989
pubmed:articleTitle
Testosterone immunoreactivity in the seminiferous epithelium of rat testis: effect of treatment with ethane dimethanesulfonate.
pubmed:affiliation
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Fakultät Biologie, AG Vergleichende Endokrinologie, Federal Republic of Germany.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't