Spermatogenesis in goats with and without scrotum bipartition

Abstract

The objective of the present research was to quantify the seminiferous epithelium cells, spermatogenesis efficiency and characterize the ultrastrucure of Sertoli cells in goats. Eighteen goats were used and divided into three groups: Group I – goats without bipartition of the scrotum; Group II – animals with bipartition of the scrotum in up to 50% of the testicular length; Group III – goats with bipartition of the scrotum in more than 50% of the testicular length. The goat testes in Group III had a greater number of primary spermatocytes (25.37±4.55 cells per cross sections), spermatids (112±15.12 cells per cross sections), and Sertoli cells (9.46±1.74 cells per cross sections) than the animals in Groups I and II (P<0.05). The spermatogenic mitotic, meiotic, and general efficiency were greater in animals in Group III (1.25±0.28; 5.12±1.63; 6.44±1.96) when compared to those in Groups I and II. Sheet-like processes originated from the Sertoli cell body as simple and smooth structures which involved almost all the surface of germ cells. Slender cord-like processes originated from Sertoli cells and also from the sheet-like processes. The relative frequency of the cycle stages showed differences among the groups of goats studied, and the highest frequency was in Stage 3 (20.68% for goats in Group I, 21.15% for those in Group II, and 16.89% for the animals in Group III). In conclusion, goats with bipartition of the scrotum have a greater number of germ and Sertoli cells per cross section of seminiferous tubule, that indicated a greater sperm production when compared to the other groups, and the ultrastructure of the Sertoli cell process did not present any relationship with bipartition of the scrotum.