NEW AND TRADITIONAL APPROACHES FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF TESTICULAR TOXICITY

In this study, the suitability of several methods for the assessment o f testicular damage, including histopathology, flow cytometry (FCM), t esticular sperm head counts, and secretion of androgen binding protein (ABP), has been evaluated, Testicular toxicity after acute exposure o f adult rats to different doses of the known toxicant 1,3-dinitrobenze ne (DNB) was analyzed. The effects showed dose dependence, in spite of the large variability within each dose group, Histopathology and FCM showed germ cell depletion, particularly of round spermatids; testicul ar sperm head counts were reduced and ABP production was increased, Al l evaluated methods showed similar sensitivities. The increased testic ular ABP levels support the theory that the Sestoli cell is the likely target of DNB induced testicular toxicity, producing subsequent germ cell depletion, The presented results show the suitability of FCM for the analysis of testicular damage and also support the usefulness of i ncluding a metabolic marker for Sertoli cell function. (C) 1998 Elsevi er Science Inc.