TEMPORAL APPEARANCE OF ANTISPERM ANTIBODIES DURING SEXUAL-MATURATION OF RATS AFTER OBSTRUCTION OF THE VAS-DEFERENS

The appearance of serum antisperm antibodies was studied during the ma turation of rats in which the vas deferens was obstructed prepubertall y. Vasa deferentia were ligated and divided bilaterally in 10-day-old Lewis rats, while control animals received a sham operation at the sam e age. At ages between 14 and 128 days, blood samples were assayed for antisperm antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Ther e were no differences between obstructed and sham-operated groups in m ean antisperm antibodies from 14 through 56 days. However, in 91- and 128-day-old rats mean antisperm antibody levels were much higher in ob structed than in control animals. This rise in antisperm antibodies oc curred several weeks after the development of spermatids in the testes between 23 and 46 days. The presence of elevated antisperm antibodies in obstructed animals followed temporally the appearance of sperm thr oughout the lumen of the entire epididymis and the formation of sperma tic granulomas. The results in this model suggest that consideration b e given to repair of injured or obstructed vas deferens prior to puber ty to forestall development of antisperm antibodies, as well as the fo rmation of spermatic granulomas.