Histological changes of the testis and epididymis in adult rats as a result of Leydig cell destruction after ethane dimethane sulfonate treatment： a morphometric study

Aim： To quantitatively study the histological changes of the testis and epididymis as a result of a drastic reduction of testosterone secretion. Methods： Fourteen adult Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with ethane dimethane sulfonate （EDS, 75 mg/kg） and the same number of animals were injected with normal saline as a control. At days 7 and 12 （after treatment）, respectively, half of the animals from each group were killed. The testes and epididymides were removed and tissue blocks embedded in methacrylate resin. The cell number per testis was estimated using the stereological optical disector and some other parameters were obtained using other morphometric methods. Results： The EDS treatment resulted in an almost complete elimination of Leydig cells but had no effect on the numbers of Sertoli cells per testis. At day 7 after EDS treatment, many elongated spermatids were retained in the seminiferous epithelium and many round spermatids could be seen in the epididymal ducts. At day 12, a looser arrangement of spermatids and spermatocytes became evident, with apparent narrow empty spaces being formed between germ cells in an approximately radial direction towards the tubule lumen; the numbers （per testis） of non-type B spermatogonia and spermatocytes were similar to controls, whereas that of type B spermatogonia increased by 59%, and that of early round, elongating and late elongated spermatids decreased by 37%, 72% and 52%, respectively. Conclusion： The primary spermatogenic lesions following EDS administration were （i） spermiation failure and （ii） detachment of spermatids and spermatocytes associated with impairment in spermiogenesis and meiosis.

Effect of lindane on antioxidant enzymes in epididymis and epididymal sperm of adult rats

Aim: To find out the changes induced by lindane on the antioxidant enzymes in epididymis and epididymal sperm ofadult rats. Methods: Adult male rats were orally administered lindane at a dose of 5.0 mg/kg body weight per dayfor 30 days. At the end of the treatment, the rats were sacrificed. The epididymis was removed and weighed and spermwere collected for sperm count, motility and biochemical studies. A 1% homogenate of epididymis was prepared andused for biochemical estimations. Results; In lindane-treated rats, there were significant reductions in the epididy-mal weight, epididymal sperm count and motility compared with the controls. Significant decreases in the superoxidedismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase activities and significant increases in theH_2O_2 generation and lipid peroxidation were also observed in the epididymis and epididymal sperm of lindane-treatedrats. Conclusion; Lindane decreases the levels of antioxidant enzymes in the epididymis and epididymal sperm ofadult rats thereby inducing oxidative stress. (Asian J Androl 2001 Sep; 3 : 205 - 208)

Usefulness of human epididymis protein 4 in predicting cytoreductive surgical outcomes for advanced ovarian tubal and peritoneal carcinoma

Objective： Human epididymis protein 4（HE4） is a promising biomarker of epithelial ovarian cancer（EOC）. But its role in assessing the primary optimal debulking（OD） of EOC remains unknown. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the ability of preoperative HE4 in predicting the primary cytoreductive outcomes in advanced EOC, tubal or peritoneal carcinoma.Methods： We reviewed the records of 90 patients with advanced ovarian, tubal or peritoneal carcinoma who underwent primary cytoreduction at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Peking University People＇s Hospital between November 2005 and October 2010. Preoperative serum HE4 and CA125 levels were detected with EIA kit. A receiver operating characteristic（ROC） curve was used to determine the most useful HE4 cut-off value. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify significant preoperative clinical characteristics to predict optimal primary cytoreduction.Results： OD was achieved in 47.7%（43/48） of patients. The median preoperative HE4 level for patients with OD vs. suboptimal debulking was 423 and 820 pmol/L, respectively（P〈0.001）. The areas under the ROC curve for HE4 and CA125 were 0.716 and 0.599, respectively（P=0.080）. The most useful HE4 cut-off value was 473 pmol/L. Suboptimal cytoreduction was obtained in 66.7%（38/57） of cases with HE4 ≥473 pmol/L compared with only 27.3%（9/33） of cases with HE4 〈473 pmol/L. At this threshold, the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value（PPV） and negative predictive value（NPV） for diagnosing suboptimal debulking were 81%, 56%, 67%, and 73%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed that the patients with HE4 ≥473 pmol/L were less likely to achieve OD（odds ratio =5.044, P=0.002）.Conclusions： Preoperative serum HE4 may be helpful to predict whether optimal cytoreductive surgery could be obtained or whether extended cytoreduction would be needed by an interdisciplinary team.

Androgenic regulation of novel genes in the epididymis

The epididymis is critically dependent on the presence of the testis. Although several hormones, such as retinoids and progestins, and factors secreted directly into the epididymal lumen, such as androgen binding protein and fibroblast growth factor, might play regulatory roles in epididymal function, testosterone （T） and its metabolites, dihydrotestosterone （DHT） and estradiol （E2）, are accepted as the primary regulators of epididymal structure and functions, with the former playing the greater role. To ascertain the molecular action of androgens on the epididymis, three complementary approaches were pursued to monitor changes in gene expression in response to different hormonal milieux. The first was to establish changes in gene expression along the epididymis as androgenic support is withdrawn. The second was to determine the sequence of responses that occur in an androgen deprived tissue upon re-administration of the two metabolites of T, DHT and E2. The third was to study the effects of androgen withdrawal and re-administration on gene expression in immortalized murine caput epididymidal principal cells. Specific responses were observed under each of these conditions, with an expected major difference in the panoply of genes expressed upon hormone withdrawal and re-administration; however, some key common features were the common roles of genes in insulin like growth factor/epidermal growth factor and the relatively minor and specific effects of E2 as compared to DHT. Together, these results provide novel insights into the mechanisms of androgen regulation in epididymal principal cells. （Asian J Androl 2007 July; 9： 545-553）

Extracellular quality control in the epididymis

The epididymal lumen represents a unique extracellular environment because of the active sperm maturation process that takes place within its confines. Although much focus has been placed on the interaction of epididymal secretory proteins with spermatozoa in the lumen, very little is known regarding how the complex epididymal milieu as a whole is maintained, including mechanisms to prevent or control proteins that may not stay in their native folded state following secretion. Because some misfolded proteins can form cytotoxic aggregate structures known as amyloid, it is likely that control/surveillance mechanisms exist within the epididymis to protect against this process and allow sperm maturation to occur. To study protein aggregation and to identify extracellular quality control mechanisms in the epididymis, we used the cystatin family of cysteine protease inhibitors, including cystatin-related epididymal spermatogenic and cystatin C as molecular models because both proteins have inherent properties to aggregate and form amyloid. In this chapter, we present a brief summary of protein aggregation by the amyloid pathway based on what is known from other organ systems and describe quality control mechanisms that exist intracellularly to control protein misfolding and aggregation. We then present a summary of our studies of cystatinrelated epididymal spermatogenic （CRES） oligomerization within the epididymal lumen, including studies suggesting that transglutaminase cross-linking may be one mechanism of extracellular quality control within the epididymis. （Asian J Androl 2007 July; 9： 500-507）

Effect of piperine on the epididymis of adult male rats

Aim： To study the effect of piperine on the epididymal antioxidant system of adult male rats. Methods： Adult male rats were orally administered piperine at doses of 1 mg/kg, 10 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg body weight each day for 30 consecutive days. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, the rats were weighed and killed with ether and the epididymis was dissected from the bodies. Sperm collected from the cauda region of the epididymis was used for the assessment of its count, motility and viability. Caput, corpus and cauda regions of the epididymis were separated and homogenized separately to obtain 10 % homogenates. The supernatants were used for the assays of sialic acid, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, lipid peroxidation and hydrogen peroxide generation. Results： Body weight of the piperine-treated rats remained unchanged. The weights of the caput, corpus and cauda regions of the epididymis significantly decreased at dose of 100 mg/kg. Epididymal sperm count and motility decreased at 10 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg, and sperm viability decreased significantly at 100 mg/kg. Sialic acid levels in the epididymis decreased significantly at 100 mg/kg while significant decrease in the cauda region alone was observed at 10 mg/kg. A significant decline in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, along with an increase in hydrogen peroxide generation and lipid peroxidation were observed at 10 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg. Conclusion： Piperine caused a decrease in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and sialic acid levels in the epididymis and thereby increased reactive oxygen species levels that could damage the epididymal environment and sperm function.

Segment boundaries of the adult rat epididymis limit interstitial signaling by potential paracrine factors and segments lose differential gene expression after efferent duct ligation

The epididymis is divided into caput, corpus and cauda regions, organized into intraregional segments separated by connective tissue septa （CTS）. In the adult rat and mouse these segments are highly differentiated. Regulation of these segments is by endocrine, lumicrine and paracrine factors, the relative importance of which remains under investigation. Here, the ability of the CTS to limit signaling in the interstitial compartment is reviewed as is the effect of 15 days of unilateral efferent duct ligation （EDL） on ipsilateral segmental transcriptional profiles. Inter-segmental microperifusions of epidermal growth factor （EGF）, vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGFA） and fibroblast growth factor 2 （FGF2） increased phosphorylation of mitogen activated protein kinase （MAPK） in segments 1 and 2 of the rat epididymis and the effects of all factors were limited by the CTS separating the segments. Microan＇ay analysis of segmental gene expression determined the effect of 15 days of unilateral EDL on the transcriptome-wide gene expression of rat segments 1-4. Over 11 000 genes were expressed in each of the four segments and over 2 000 transcripts in segment 1 responded to deprivation of testicular lumicrine factors. Segments 1 and 2 of control tissues were the most transcriptionally different and EDL had its greatest effects there. In the absence of lumicrine factors, all four segments regressed to a transcriptionally undifferentiated state, consistent with the less differentiated histology. Deprivation of lumicrine factors could stimulate an individual gene＇s expression in some segments yet suppress it in others. Such results reveal a higher complexity of the regulation of rat epididymal segments than that is generally appreciated. （Asian J Androl 2007 July; 9： 565-573）

Effect of bisphenol A and co-administration of bisphenol Aand vitamin C on epididymis of adult rats:A histological and biochemical study

Aim: To study the effect of bisphenol A on the epididymis and epididymal sperm of rats and the possible amelioration action of co-administration with vitamin C. Methods: Male Wistar rats were orally administered bisphenol A (0.2 μg·kg-1·day-1, 2 μg·kg-1·day-1 and 20 μg·kg-1·day-1) and 0.2 μg, 2μg and 20 μg bisphenol A + 40 mg vitamin C·kg-1·day-1 for 60 days. On day 61, rats were killed with anesthetic ether and sperm collected from epididymis were used for assessment of sperm count, motility and viability and biochemical studies. A 1 % homogenate of epididymis was prepared and used for biochemical estimations. Caput, corpus and cauda epididymis were fixed in Bouin's fixative for histological studies. Results: Administration of bisphenol A caused a reduction in the epididymal sperm motility and count and the sperm viability remained unchanged. The activities of superoxide dismutase and glu-tathione peroxidase decreased, while the levels of lipid peroxidation increased in epididymal sperm and epididymis at all doses. Co-administration with vitamin C reversed the effect of bisphenol A-induced oxidative stress in epididymal sperm and epididymis. A complete degeneration of epididymal epithelium in caput, corpus and cauda regions with reduction in the number of sperms were observed at all doses of bisphenol A-treated rats. Conclusion: Bisphenol A induced oxidative stress in epididymis and caused degeneration of the epididymal epithelium of rats. Co-administration with vitamin C had a protective effect against the bisphenol A-induced toxicity in epididymal sperm and epididymis.

Glutathione peroxidase activity in cell cultures from different regions of human epididymis

Aim: To study the secretory activity and androgen regulation of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in epithelial cell cultures from human epididymis. Methods: Tissue was obtained from patients undergoing therapeutic orchidectomy for prostatic cancer. Epithelial cell cultures were obtained from the caput, corpus and cauda epididymides. Enzymatic activity was measured in conditioned media by colorimetric methods in absence or presence of 1, 10 or 100 nrnoI.L^(-1) testosterone. The effect of 1 μmol.L^(-1) flutamide was also evaluated. Results: GPx activity was higher in cultures from corpus and cauda than caput epididymidis. The presence of different concentrations of testosterone increase enzyme activity in cell cultures from all epididymal regions. Addition of flutamide reverses the androgen dependent increase of GPx activity. Conclusion: GPx activity is secreted from human epididymal cells in a region dependent manner and is regulated by androgens.

Molecular cloning and identification of mouse epididymis-specific gene mHongl, the homologue of rat HongrES1

Previous studies have shown that rat epididymis-specific gene HongrES1 plays important roles in sperm capacitation and fertility. In this study, we cloned the mouse homologue gene by sequence alignment and RT-PCR methods and designated it as mHongl. The mHongl gene is located on chromosome 12p14, spanning five exons. The cDNA sequence consists of 1257 nucleotides and encodes a 419 amino-acid protein with a predicted N-terminal signal peptide of 20 amino acids. The mHongl mRNA shows similarity with HongrES1 in the expression patterns： （i） specific expression in epididymal tissue, especially in the cauda region; and （ii） androgen-dependence but testicular fluid factor independence. Its protein product shows 71% similarity with HongrES 1 and contains a classical serpin domain as does HongrES1. A polyclonal antibody against mHongl with high specificity and sensitivity was raised. Like HongrES1, the mHongl protein shows a checker-board expression pattern in the epididymal epithelium and is secreted into the epididymal lumen. The mHongl protein shows higher glycosylation than HongrES1. Although both of them are deposited onto the sperm head surface, mHongl is localized to the equatorial segment, which is different from that of HongrES 1. The mHongl protein can be removed from the sperm membrane by high ionic strength and therefore can be classed as an extrinsic membrane protein. Collectively, we conclude that mHongl is the homologue of HongrES1 and the present work paves the way for establishing animal models to elucidate the precise functions of HongrES1 and mHongl.

Limited Wegener's granulomatosis of the epididymis and testis

A case is presented of Wegener＇s granulomatosis limited to the testis and epididymis, simultaneously, in a 69-year-old man. Orchiectomy was carried out through an inguinal incision under the presumptive diagnosis of a right testicular tumor. A hard, irregular mass occupied the upper testicle and a portion of the epididymal head was visualized. Histopathologic examination of the specimen showed granulomatous inflammation of the testis and epididymis with prominent angiocentric granulomata in the walls of arteries, veins and foci of fibrinoid necrosis, surrounded by palisading inflammatory cells with a few giant cells. The diagnosis of limited Wegener＇s granulomatosis was considered, although antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody （c-ANCA） test was negative 2 weeks after orchiectomy. The patient showed an excellent response after local complete excision. He remains free of disease 18 months after orchiectomy.

Bilateral occurrence of sperm granulomas in the left spermatic cord and on the right epididymis:A case report

BACKGROUND Sperm granuloma is a rare disease in clinical andrology and its incidence is still unclear worldwide.According to the existing literature,sperm granuloma often occurs unilaterally.Clinical and ultrasound features are similar to epididymal tuberculosis,chronic epididymitis and other diseases.Sperm granuloma is usually diagnosed based on postoperative histopathological and immunohistochemical examination.CASE SUMMARY A 46-year-old man was admitted to the hospital due to the presence of a left scrotal mass for 3 mo and aggravation of pain for 1 wk.The lesions at both sites were surgically resected.Postoperative pathological examination showed that the left spermatic cord mass and the right epididymal mass were consistent with sperm granuloma.The sperm granulomas then recurred 3 mo after surgery.There is little change in the local mass so far.CONCLUSION The case report is helpful for our understanding of this disease.In clinical diagnosis,it should be distinguished from epididymal tuberculosis,chronic epididymitis and other diseases.Color Doppler ultrasound can be used as a preferred examination method but postoperative pathological examination is still needed for diagnosis.

Cholesterol granuloma of the right epididymis mimicking an acute scrotum

Dear Sir, I am B. Spajic, the urologist from Clinical Department of Urology, Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia. Recently, we had a rare case of a cholesterol granuloma of the right epididymis at our department, showing clinical signs of acute scrotum. The case described here appears to be the second reporting cholesterol granuloma in the epididymis and the first one presenting with clinical signs of acute scrotum.

HISTOCHEMICAL EFFECT OF THE MULTIGLYCOSIDES OF TRIPTERYGIUM WILFORDII HOOK.F.(GTW)ON THE TESTIS AND EPIDIDYMIS OF RATS

SD Twenty adult male rats were equally divided into a contro1 and an experimcntal group.GTW,10 mg/kg per day,was given to the experimental rats through gastric gavage 6 days a week for 8 weeks.To the control rats,the same amount of vehicle was given The animals were sacrificed when they became infertile and the fol1owing parameters of the testis and epididymis were examined:l)DNA(Feulgen′s method),2)RNA(Brachet′s tech-uique),3)LDH-X(Lojda′s method),4)ATPase(Wachstein′s procedure),5)Succinate dehydrc-genase(SDH,Pearson's method),6)Non-specific esterase(NSE,Lojda's technique)and 7)PAS reaction.Routine examination of the epididymal spermatozoa was also carried out.

Correlation of serum mesothelin and human epididymis secretory protein 4 contents with cellular infiltrative growth in patients with ovarian cancer

Objective: To study the correlation of serum mesothelin and human epididymis secretory protein 4 contents with cellular infiltrative growth in patients with ovarian cancer. Methods:Patients with ovarian cancer who underwent surgical resection in West Coast Medical Center of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University between June 2013 and December 2016 were selected as the ovarian cancer group of the study, and healthy women who received physical examination in China University of Petroleum (East China) Hospital during the same period were selected as the control group of the study. Serum was collected from two groups of subjects to detect serum mesothelin and human epididymis secretory protein 4 contents, and the ovarian cancer lesions and adjacent lesions were collected from ovarian cancer group to detect the expression of proliferation, apoptosis and invasion genes. Results: Serum mesothelin and human epididymis secretory protein 4 contents of ovarian cancer group were significantly higher than those of control group;FUNDC1, LSD1, TNFAIP8, CXCR4, β-catenin, CD44, PELP1, Slug, ZEB1 and Snail mRNA expression in ovarian cancer lesions were significantly higher than those in adjacent lesions and positively correlated with serum mesothelin and human epididymis secretory protein 4 contents while MFN2, PTEN, FN14 and E-cadherin mRNA expression were significantly lower than those in adjacent lesions and negatively correlated with serum mesothelin and human epididymis secretory protein 4 contents. Conclusion: Serum mesothelin and human epididymis secretory protein 4 contents abnormally increase in patients with ovarian cancer and are associated with the infiltrative growth of cancer cells.

Histological changes of the testis and epididymis in adult rats as a result of Leydig cell destruction after ethane dimethane sulfonate treatment:a morphometric study

Aim:To quantitatively study the histological changes of the testis and epididymis as a result of a drastic reduction of testosterone secretion.Methods:Fourteen adult Sprague-Dawley rats were injected intraperitoneally with ethane dimethane sulfonate(EDS,75 mg/kg)and the same number of animals were injected with normal saline as a control. At days 7 and 12(after treatment),respectively,half of the animals from each group were killed.The testes and epididymides were removed and tissue blocks embedded in methacrylate resin.The cell number per testis was esti- mated using the stereological optical disector and some other parameters were obtained using other morphometric methods.Results:The EDS treatment resulted in an almost complete elimination of Leydig cells but had no effect on the numbers of Sertoli cells per testis.At day 7 after EDS treatment,many elongated spermatids were retained in the seminiferous epithelium and many round spermatids could be seen in the epididymal ducts.At day 12,a looser arrangement of spermatids and spermatocytes became evident,with apparent narrow empty spaces being formed between germ cells in an approximately radial direction towards the tubule lumen;the numbers(per testis)of non- type B spermatogonia and spermatocytes were similar to controls,whereas that of type B spermatogonia increased by 59%,and that of early round,elongating and late elongated spermatids decreased by 37%,72% and 52%,respectively. Conclusion:The primary spermatogenic lesions following EDS administration were(i)spermiation failure and(ii) detachment of spermatids and spermatocytes associated with impairment in spermiogenesis and meiosis.

Effect of experimental varicocele on structure and function of epididymis in adolescent rats

<abstract>Aim: To study the effect of experimental left varicocele (ELV) on epididymal structure and function in adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: ELV was induced by partial ligation of the left renal vein. Sham-operated animals served as the controls. Four and 8 weeks after the operation, the histological, ultrastructural and biochemical (alpha-glucosidase activity and carnitine content) changes in different segments of the epididymis were observed. Results: In the treated animals, there were degeneration of the epididymal epithelium and edema of the interstitial tissue; numerous shedding cells, residual bodies, deformed sperm and macrophages appeared in the epididymal lumen. Morphometric measurement indicated a significant reduction in the epididymal tubular diameter (P<0.05) and a significant increase in the epididymal interstitial area (P<0.05) compared with the controls. Ultrastructural study showed sparse microvilli of the columnar epithelium, increased and enlarged lysosomes in the principal cells with defected organelles and the presence of large cytoplasmic vacuoles. The protein and carnitine contents and the alpha-glucosidase activity in the caput, corpus and cauda epididymis of the ELV rats were lower than those of the controls (P< 0.05). Conclusion: There were structural and functional changes in the epididymis of adolescent ELV rats, which may contribute to the infertility caused by varicocele.

Identification of epididymis-specific transcripts in the mouse and rat by transcriptional profiling

As part of our efforts to identify novel contraceptive targets in the epididymis we performed transcriptional profiling on each of the 10 and 19 segments of the mouse and rat epididymidis, respectively, using Affymetrix whole genome microarrays. A total of 17 096 and 16 360 probe sets representing transcripts were identified as being expressed in the segmented mouse and rat epididymal transcriptomes, respectively. Comparison of the expressed murine transcripts against a mouse transcriptional profiling database derived from 22 other mouse tissues identified 77 transcripts that were expressed uniquely in the epididymis. The expression of these genes was further evaluated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction （RT-PCR） analysis of RNA from 21 mouse tissues. RT-PCR analysis confirmed epididymis-specific expression of Defensin Beta 13 and identified two additional genes with expression restricted only to the epididymis and testis. Comparison of the 16 360 expressed transcripts in the rat epididymis with data of 21 other tissues from a rat transcriptional profiling database identified 110 transcripts specific for the epididymis. Sixty-two of these transcripts were further investigated by qPCR analysis. Only Defensin 22 （E3 epididymal protein） was shown to be completely specific for the epididymis. In addition, 14 transcripts showed more than 100-fold selective expression in the epididymis. The products of these genes might play important roles in epididymal and/or sperm function and further investigation and validation as contraceptive targets are warranted. The results of the studies described in this report are available at the Mammalian Reproductive Genetics （MRG） Database （http：//mrg. genetics.washington.edu/）. （Asian J Androl 2007July; 9： 522-527）

Quantitative (stereological) study on the spermatozoal storage capacity of epididymis in rats and monkeys

Aim: To investigate the spermatozoal production rate of the testis and the spermatozoal storage capacity of the epi-didymis in monkeys and rats. Methods: The number of the late spermatids (steps 13 - 14 in the monkey or steps15 - 19 in the rat) per testis and the number of spermatozoa per epididymis were estimated in 6 normal adult monkeys(Macaca fascicularis) and 6 normal adult SD rats on 25 um-thick methacrylate-embedded sections using a contempo-rary unbiased and efficient stereological method-the optical disector. The diameter and length of the efferent ductulesand ductus epididymidis and the volume of the epididymal fluid in the tubules were also estimated. Results: The totalnumber of the late spermatids per testis was 2902 ±749 (million, x ±s) in the monkey, or 179 ±31 in the rat; thenumber of spermatozoa per epididymis was 3235 ±1835 in the monkey, or 241±76 in the rat. Conclusion: A largenumber of spermatozoa was densely packed and stored in the ductus epididymidis; the epididymal transit time for sper-matozoa was around 5 days in monkeys or 11 days in rats.