1992 Volume 55 Issue Supplement Pages 165-169
Atrophic changes in the basal portion of the seminiferous tubules caused by daily injections of estradiol have been found by scanning electron microscopy disclosed after a digestion technique using collagenase and trypsin
In the control rat, the smooth basal portion of the epithelium was composed of polygonal Sertoli cells and reticularly-arranged ovoidal spermatogonia. After estradiol treatment, there appeared wavy furrows and ridges, and many folded micro-wrinkles in the complicated basal portion of the seminiferous tubules. The wavy furrows and ridges were repeatedly formed and appeared just like a cornice. These structures ran in an orderly manner perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tubules. In contrast, many micro-wrinkles ran in parallel to the longitudinal axis. These two structures had a characteristically similar size and orderly arrangement. They are discussed in relation to the mechanism by which the seminiferous tubules shrink by injections of estradiol.