Permanent testicular damage induced in rats by a single dose of tunicamycin

• Published in: Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 61 - 69
• Main Authors: Peterson, John E., Jago, Marjorie V., Stewart, Philip L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 1996; Elsevier
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents - administration & dosage; Anti-Bacterial Agents - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; Drug toxicity and drugs side effects treatment; Epididymis - drug effects; Epididymis - pathology; Female; Infertility, Female - chemically induced; Infertility, Female - physiopathology; Infertility, Male - chemically induced; Infertility, Male - physiopathology; Ischemia - chemically induced; Leydig Cells - cytology; Leydig Cells - drug effects; Leydig Cells - pathology; Male; male infertility; Medical sciences; Necrosis - chemically induced; Organ Size - drug effects; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Rats; seminiferous tubules; Seminiferous Tubules - drug effects; Seminiferous Tubules - pathology; Sertoli Cells - cytology; Sertoli Cells - drug effects; Sertoli Cells - pathology; Staining and Labeling; testicular toxicity; Testis - drug effects; Testis - pathology; Testosterone - blood; Toxicity: urogenital system; tunicamycin; Tunicamycin - administration & dosage; Tunicamycin - toxicity; Vasoconstriction - drug effects; testicular toxicity; seminiferous tubules; male infertility; tunicamycin; Vertebrata; Antibiotic; Mammalia; Rat; Toxicity; Animal; Rodentia; Seminiferous tubule; Subcutaneous administration; Testicle; Male genital diseases; Sterility
• ISSN: 0890-6238; 1873-1708
• DOI: 10.1016/0890-6238(95)02019-5

Tunicamycin administered as a single subcutaneous dose of 200 ug/kg caused permanent destruction of seminiferous tubules in adult male rats. The fertility of females was unimpaired by doses of up to 450 μg/kg. Degenerative changes in seminiferous tubule epithelium commenced 3 to 5 days after injection and by day 19 affected 95% of tubule profiles in sections. In 95% of tubules only Sertoli cells survived to day 56. Tubules without any surviving cells were present from day 19 and slowly increased in number, a variable proportion becoming mineralised. No regeneration occurred within one year. Leydig cells became more prominent because of the atrophy of seminiferous tubules, but their total mass did not differ significantly from that of control rats, nor did the plasma concentration of testosterone. Changes in tissues other than the testes were transient. The testicular damage seems to have resulted from localised ischaemia caused by tunicamycin-induced vasoconstriction.