FLOW CYTOMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF DOXORUBICIN ON RAT SPERMATOGENESIS

Histopathologic examination of testicular tissue allows testicular imp airment to be investigated, As an alternative to histopathology, flow cytometry (FCM) using a triple staining technique that combines DNA-pl oidy with mitochondria stainablitiy and vimentin immunostaining has al so been utilized to evaluate testicular damage, In this article we eva luate the effects on spermatogenesis after acute exposure of rats to d oxorubicin. Testicular cell suspensions of treated and control animals were analyzed by FCM, This allows several cell types to be identified and quantified, giving a control pattern, Deviations from this contro l pattern are considered as an indication of testicular damage, Doxoru bicin produced a depletion of spermatogonia as early as 3 d after trea tment. This effect could be followed through the temporal evolution of spermatogenesis, Comparable results were obtained by histopathology. The presented results show that FCM is a suitable and sensitive method for the detection of testicular damage, The advantages of FCM over ot her techniques include its rapidity and objectivity. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.