Cytochemical changes in spinal cord and testis of mice during starvation

ABSTRACT

The effect of starvation on the content and distribution of RNA, proteins and glycogen of spinal cord and testis of mice was studied. Spinal cord and testis were taken from mice, non-starved and after one, two and three days of total starvation. In the neurons of the spinal cord, starvation decreased RNA and proteins early in the fast, decreases in glycogen occurred more slowly, late in the fast. In the testis there was no obvious decrease in RNA and proteins content and a very slight decrease of the glycogen granules, i.e. the mice conserve testis RNA, proteins and glycogen during prolonged starvation. It has been found that the effect of starvation on RNA, protein and glycogen of the testis and spinal cord was variable