Abstract
Changes resulting from toxicity to the rat testis and epididymis induced by ethylene-1, 2-dimeth-anesulfonate (EDS) were histomorphometrically studied. In experiment I, ten-week old male rats received a single dose of 100mg/kg body weight EDS, and at 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days thereafter were sacrificed for histopathological evaluation of the testis, epididymis, prostate, and seminal vesicle. Lesions involving Leydig cells and seminiferous tubules in the testis wereanalyzed using a quantitative method. In the treated animals, Leydig cells disappeared within 3 days of the EDS treatment, and decreases of pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids were subsequently observed after 7 days. In contrast, necrosis of epithelia was already observed in the epididymis at 1 day after the EDS treatment, and the severity of the lesion increased up to day 3. At day 7, although loss of Leydig cells was still evident, recovery of epithelia in the epididymis was observed. In the prostate and seminal vesicles, atrophic changes wereseen without necrotic lesions. In experiment II, castrated animals were injected with EDS and sacrificed after 3 days for histophathological observation. Changes similar to those in uncastrated animals treated with EDS were recognized in the epididymis, and with more pronounced severity than those observed in castratedanimals without EDS treatment. These results suggest that toxic lesions of the epididymis induced by EDS are not secondary to those in the testis, but rather are due to direct effects of the compound.
