Determination of Sertoli cell numbers in the developing rat testis by stereological methods

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Abstract
Summary: Stereological studies were performed to determine the number of Sertoli cells present during the postnatal development of the rat testes. Sprague‐Dawley rats aged from 1 to 70 days were used in two experiments, and in each were fixed by vascular perfusion and embedded in Epon‐Araldite, subsequent to which 1 μm sections stained with Toluidine blue were prepared. In the first experiment, rats aged from 1 to 20 days were used in groups of three, and number estimates were made using a direct counting method. In the second, which used groups of four rats aged from 20 to 70 days, a point sampled intercept was used to estimate nuclear volume and thence number. The results of the experiments indicate that the newborn rat testis contains 1.3 ± 0.2 × 106 Sertoli cells and that this number increases to 38.4 ± 2.7 × 106 at day 15. No further increase in Sertoli cell number occurred thereafter up to day 70 of age.