IMMUNOLOGICAL AND TESTICULAR RESPONSE IN MAN SENSITIZED WITH HUMAN TESTICULAR HOMOGENATE.

Abstract

Three different groups comprising 18 selected volunteer patients having prostatic carcinoma were studied. None had had previous treatment nor presented with endocrine or other metabolic diseases. The first group was sensitized with autologous or homologous testicular homogenate plus complete Freund's adjuvant. Patients of the second group were separately sensitized with testicular homogenate plus incomplete Freund's adjuvant, testicular homogenate alone, or with complete or incomplete Freund's adjuvant alone. The third group was not sensitized and served as a control for the preceding groups. In all cases complement fixation, hemagglutination, passive cutaneous anaphylactic and antiglobulin consumption tests were performed before and after sensitization, as well as skin tests. The antigens used were washed and sonicated homologous spermatozoa, and in some cases testicular homogenate. Also, biopsy specimens of the testis were obtained before, during and at the end of the experiments. It was observed that transient low-titer circulating antibodies and a positive delayed type skin test appear between 2 and 8 weeks after sensitization. The testes developed a patchy lesion consisting of congestion, serous edema and sloughing of germinal cells. Immunofluorescent technique using the patient's own sera and testis sections showed a positive reaction in the germinal cells (presumably spermatids and spermatozoa). This immunological and testicular response was present in 2 out of 4 patients of the first group and it was absent in the control groups. Blood group isoantigens ascribed to spermatozoa were incapable of interfering with the antispermatic antibodies.