A morphological investigation of mitochondria within the seminal epithelial cells of rat testes fixed in potassium permanganate reveals differences in electron opacity between the internal mitochondrial membranes of spermatogenic cells and those of Sertoli cells. Some interpretations of the apparent density differences are briefly discussed. It is concluded that the different effects of permang...

Small noncoding RNAs, including small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and micro RNAs (miRNAs) of approximately 21 nucleotides (nt) in length, have emerged as potent regulators of gene expression at both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels in diverse organisms. Here we report the identification of a novel class of small RNAs in the mouse male germline termed piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs)....

A procedure is described which permits the isolation from the prepuberal mouse testis of highly purified populations of primitive type A spermatogonia, type A spermatogonia, type B spermatogonia, preleptotene primary spermatocytes, leptotene and zygotene primary spermatocytes, pachytene primary spermatocytes and Sertoli cells. The successful isolation of these prepuberal cell types was accompli...

Sperm tests provide a direct and effective way of identifying chemical agents that induce spermatogenic damage in man. Four human sperm tests are available: sperm count, motility, morphology (seminal cytology) and the Y-body test. These sperm tests have numerous advantages over other approaches for assessing spermatogenic damage, and they have already been used to assess the effects of at least...

Testicular Sertoli cells phagocytose apoptotic spermatogenic cells in a manner depending on the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS) expressed at the surface of the latter cell type. Our previous studies have indicated that class B scavenger receptor type I (SR-BI) is responsible for the PS-mediated phagocytosis by Sertoli cells. We examined here whether SR-BI binds directly to PS. A c...

AIM The present study compared the testicular cytology and histology between crossbred (Holstein-Friesian [HF] × Tharparkar) and purebred (HF and Tharparkar) bulls to find out differences if any. MATERIALS AND METHODS Four peripubertal bulls from each breed were utilized for the study. Through percutaneous needle aspiration biopsy, Sertoli and spermatogenic cells were extracted, and morphomet...

The acquisition of genotoxin-induced mutations in the mammalian germline is detrimental to the stable transfer of genomic information. In somatic cells, nucleotide excision repair (NER) is a major pathway to counteract the mutagenic effects of DNA damage. Two NER subpathways have been identified, global genome repair (GGR) and transcription-coupled repair (TCR). In contrast to somatic cells, li...

Non-obstructive azoospermia is the most challenging type of male infertility. Stem cell based therapy provides the potential to enhance the recovery of spermatogenesis following cancer therapy. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) possess the potential to differentiate or trans-differentiate into multi-lineage cells, secrete paracrine factors to recruit the resident stem cells to ...

The aim of this research was to know whether beetroot (Beta Vulgaris) extract could protect spermatogenesis by maintaining spermatogenic and sertoli cell count in rats (Rattus novergicus) induced with CCl4. Rats were given daily, for 14 days 3ml/kg BW CCl4 intraperitoneally one hour after last treatment. This study used twenty which devided equally into 5 groups. K(-), the negative control grou...

Medical treatment of men with primary spermatogenic failure remains largely ineffective in contrast to those with secondary testicular failure. Treatment has been attempted with a multitude of agents ranging from hormones to nutritional supplements (antioxidants). While some studies have demonstrated benefit to some treatments, no treatments have consistently demonstrated efficacy nor has it be...