Changes in luminal plasma and disappearance of spermatozoa from the ligated cauda epididymidis of the androgen-deficient rabbit

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Abstract
By 3 wk after castration, the majority of spermatozoa in the ligated cauda epididymidis were dead and decapitated and there was a 46% reduction in the total number of spermatozoa. By 5 wk after castration, > 99% of spermatozoa had disappeared. Electrophoresis of cauda epididymal plasma (CEP) on polyacrylamide gels revealed that after castration the protein composition of CEP changes from a pattern specific to the epididymis to one similar to blood serum. These changes in the luminal content could be prevented by administering testosterone. When spermatozoa from the cauda epididymidis were diluted in CEP from normal rabbits, they remained motile for several h at room temperature. Dilution in CEP from 3 or 5 wk castrated animals stimulated vigorous forward motility but this declined to very low levels after 40 min. Apparently, dead spermatozoa can be removed from the epididymis after castration by mechanisms not involving granuloma formation.