A HISTOLOGICAL AND CYTOPHOTOMETRIC STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF X-RAYS ON THE MOUSE TESTIS

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Abstract
Fifty-eight day old male mice (Mus musculus) of strains BALB/Gw and S were given a dose of 320 r (250 pkv, 30 ma; filtration 0.25 mm Cu, 1 mm A1; dose rate 430 r/min-ute.) The irradiation was delivered to the pelvic region, the rest of the body being shielded with lead. Control and experimental animals were killed 1, 8 and 24 hours, and at intervals up to 28 days after irradiation. The DNA-Feulgen content of spermatogonial nuclei was estimated by means of a cytophoto-meter. The patterns of response to irradiation were essentially identical for the strains used. No change in the number of resting spermatogonia was evident at 24 hours after irradiation; by 3 days, the level had been reduced to less than 5% of the control value. Regeneration of spermatogonia commenced at about 10 days after irradiation and at 28 days had reached a level exceeding 1.5 times that of the corresponding controls. Other spermatogenic elements behaved in a similar manner, the time relationship being close to that of normal spermatogenesis. The cytophotometric data together with the histological studies support the conclusion that radiation-induced inhibition of spermatogonial DNA synthesis is primarily responsible for the cellular changes observed in the mouse testis. (This work has received assistance from Contract No. AT(ll-l)107 from the Atomic Energy Commission).