Ethane 1,2-dimethane Sulfonate Effects on the Testis of the Lizard, Podarcis s. sicula Raf: Morphological and Hormonal Changes

Abstract

Ethane 1,2-dimethane sulfonate (EDS) destroys Leydig cells in the testis of some rodents (mice excluded), disrupts interstitial and germinal compartments in the frog, Rana esculenta, while it stimulates testicular activity in the teleost, Gobius paganellus. In the Japanese quail the toxin removes mature spermatozoa. There is no information on EDS effects in reptiles. The present study examines the effect of EDS treatment in the lizard Podarcis s. sicula Raf during two different periods of the testicular cycle (winter stasis and breeding season). Animals received a single EDS injection (100 mg/kg body wt) and were sacrificed at 0 and 24 hr and 3, 5, 7, 11, and 28 days after injection. Androgens were measured in plasma and right testes, while left testes were examined histologically. Plasma androgen levels decreased 5-7 days after EDS injection, alongside interstitial tissue destruction and mast cell appearance, with slight but significant increases on Days 11 and 28. Testicular androgen levels did not change. On Day 11 metaphases were present in the interstitial tissue which regenerated on Day 28. Between Days 5 and 7 some pycnotic nuclei of spermatocytes appeared, mitotic activity of spermatogonia was normal, but germ cell stages were disorganized and empty spaces appeared at the boundary of the tubule. These data show that a single EDS injection results in destruction and repopulation of the interstitial cells in a reptile. Moreover, the effects of EDS in the lizard suggest that P. s. sicula Raf testis responds to the toxin in a similar fashion to the rat testis.