Ultrastructural anomalies of the flagellum in relation with abnormal motility in hybrid mice (C57BL x CDI)F1, treated with a mutagen: Ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS)

Abstract

In 1975, the effect of EMS on the dismorphic sperm fraction, was reported (1). Since then, the action of this drug at different levels on the seminiferous epithelium and over the spermatogenic process has been studied (2,3).Modifications in relation to the finding of morphologically abnormal sperms have been described too (6). Likewise the lowering of the count and of the sperm motility have been used as evidence of genetic damage caused by drugs (5). Recently it has been described that EMS not only affects the morphology of sperm but also their concentration and their motility (6). The present study has been done to determine if the effect of EMS on sperm motility has a morphological cause. Hybrid mice were administred a dose of 200 mg/Kg. of EMS intraperitoneally, for five consecutive days. The epididimary and deferens ducts content was studied four weeks later. They were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde and 1 % osmium tetroxide; the material was included in epoxy-resin by the conventional method, sectioned and studied with a Zeiss EM 109 electron microscope.