MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF RAT'S SEMINAL VESICLE (THE FIRST REPORT)
EFFECT OF ANDROGEN AND BILATERAL ORCHIECTOMY
1980 Volume 71 Issue 4 Pages 313-318
Details
1980 Volume 71 Issue 4 Pages 313-318
Effect of androgen and bilateral orchiectomy on adult albino rat's seminal vesicle was observed by light and electron microscopic examination including the histochemical study of alkaline phosphatase. Testosterone propionate 25mg/day was given subcutaneously for 14 consecutive days to 3 rats weighing 150 to 200gm. Following the last injection, rats were sacrificed. Bilateral orchiectomy had been performed in 3 rats under Nembutal anesthesia 14 days before sacrificing. As controls, 3 rats receiving 1ml of physiological saline subcutaneously for 14 days successively and 2 rats without any injections were sacrificed 14 days after the initiation of this experiment.
The following result was obtained.
1) Epithelia of rat's seminal vesicle consisted of two kinds of cells—a columnar cell facing the lumen of seminal vesicle and a flat cell lying on the basement membrane but not appearing at the luminal surface. A columnar cell contained abundant secretory granules, rough surfaced endoplasmic reticuli and mitochondria, revealing active function of seminal vesicle. A flat cell showed a large nucleus with scarce cytoplasm, which resembled a mesenchymal cell and seemed to support the luminal form of seminal vesicle.
2) It was a columnar cell that was effected by androgen administration or bilateral orchiectomy. A flat cell did not show any marked change by androgen administration or castration. By androgen administration, a columnar cell became taller with further development of organellae suggesting activated function of seminal vesicle. This columnar cell showed atrophy with diminished number of organellae by bilateral orchiectomy, which suggested an inactivation of the cell.
3) Localization of alkaline phosphatase activity was observed along the basement membrane of epithelia by light and electron microscopy. Staining intensity revealing activity of this enzyme semiquantitatively was increased by androgen and decreased by bilateral orchiectomy.
Judging from these findings, the authors assume that seminal vesicle, which is an androgen-dependent organ, is not only a reservoir of semen but also play an active role in the secretion or/and absorption.
