Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine

The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine (대한생식의학회)
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Stereological study of testes following experimentally-induced unilateral cryptorchidism in rats

  • Javad Sadeghinezhad (Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Fatemeh Yarmahmoudi (Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Mohammad Mehdi Dehghan (Department of Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Saeed Farzad Mohajeri (Department of Surgery and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Ehsan Roomiani (Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Hadis Bojarzadeh (Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Mahdi Aghabalazadeh Asl (Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Ava Saeidi (Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran) ;
  • Margherita De Silva (Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, University of Bologna)
  • Received : 2023.04.03
  • Accepted : 2023.06.17
  • Published : 2023.09.30
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Abstract

Objective: Cryptorchidism is one of the main causes of infertility and can result in testicular cancer. This study aimed to present quantitative data on the damage caused by cryptorchidism using stereological analysis. Methods: Thirty newborn rats were randomly divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group underwent surgery to induce unilateral cryptorchidism in the left testis, whereas the control group underwent a sham surgical procedure 18 days after birth. The testes were removed at designated time points (40, 63, and 90 days after birth) for stereological evaluation and sperm analysis. Total testicular volume, interstitial tissue volume, seminiferous tubule volume and length, and seminiferous epithelium volume and surface area were measured. Other parameters, such as sperm count, sperm morphology, and sperm tail length, were also examined. Results: Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were observed between the experimental and the control groups at different ages regarding the volumes of various parameters, including the surface area of the germinal layer, the length of the seminiferous tubules, sperm count, and sperm morphology. However, no significant differences were observed in the epithelial volume and the sperm tail length of the groups. Conclusion: Given the substantial effect of cryptorchidism on different testicular parameters, as well as the irreversible damage it causes in the testes, it is important to take this abnormality seriously to prevent these consequences.

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References

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