Investigation of changes in the testis under varying developmental conditions : a stereological study

Surgically induced unilateral cryptorchidism in juvenile rats was used as a method of inducing a known pre-malignant state for testicular tissue. The cell-cell contacts in the testis were then quantified using the newly developed second order stereological technique of one-stop stereology. The stereological analysis showed significant differences in the cell contacts between basal lamina - Sertoli cells, Sertoli cells - spermatogonia, spermatogonia - spermatocytes, and spermatocytes - spermatids. In addition, the effect of bisphenol A (BP A) on the development of the rat testis was investigated. BP A is known to have estrogenic properties but is used in a wide variety of products including baby bottles and dental sealants. Incomplete polymerisation of the BPA monomer can result in leaching of BP A from these products. Female pregnant rats were given a daily dose of either 2 ng/g bisphenol A (BPA) or 20 ng/g BP A. The testes of the male offspring were then examined at the age of 8 weeks. Stereological analysis of the testes exposed in utero revealed significant differences in the cell-cell contacts between basal lamina - Sertoli cells, spermatogonia - spermatocytes, and spermatocytes - spermatids. Furthermore, abnormal cells were observed in the stereological analysis only in the samples exposed to 2 ng/g BPA. The subtle levels of tissue dysgenesis revealed by one stop stereology, which cannot be detected on qualitative slide review, indicate its power as a tool for highlighting the main areas disruption of cell-cell interactions in a tissue. This will make it a powerful tool for investigating the Tissue Organisational Field Theory (TO FT), as an alternative to the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT) of carcinogenesis, by helping to steer investigators to the sensitive changes within a tissue.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo