By : 1Nabila I. El-Desouki, 2Amal I. El-Refaiy, 1Dalia F. Afifi and 1Hanan Talaat

Abstract

The present investigation is planned to compare between the histological structure of rabbit testes of different ages and the prophylactic role of vitamin E on senescent animals. Male NewZeland rabbits were divided into four groups according to age. Group I: represented the young rabbits (one month age, weighing 1 ± 0.4 kg), group II: adult rabbits (6 months age, weighing 4 ± 0.5 kg), group III: aged animals (24 month age, weighing 7.5 ± 0.5 kg and group (IV) aged rabbits treated daily with the therapeutic dose of vitamin E orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg b.w / day for 60 days. The testes of young rabbits revealed a small form of seminiferous tubules with regular outline with spermatogonia and Sertoli cells, and the lumen appeared empty from spermatozoa. The interstitium is made up of loose connective tissue with large polyhedral interstitial Leydig cells. In adult studied animals, testes demonstrated with all spermatogenic cells and the lumen filled with spermatozoa. In aged rabbits, the histological studies of testis demonstrated atrophied irregular tubules, disarrangement of vacuolated spermatogenic cells, and sloughing of germ cells into the tubular lumen with reduction and degeneration of spermatozoa. The interstitium between the tubules was widen and filled with degenerated and reduced Leydig cells. Administration of vitamin E to aged animals group revealed an obvious improvement of spermatogenic cells, and the spermatozoa appeared in the lumen of many seminiferous tubules.

4. Age-Related Changes in the Histological Structure of Rabbit Testes and the Prophylactic Role of Vitamin E.
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