EFFECTS OF ?-CHLOROHYDRIN COMBINED WITH GLYCIDOL ON THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE RAT EPIDIDYMIS / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

Combined effects of ?-chlorohydrin and glycidol on the ultrastructure of theinitial segment and the tail region of the rat epididymis have been studied by ultra-thin sections under electronmicroscope.Individual effects of the both drugs on thesame tissues were also examined simultaneously.The major results are as follows.1.Numbers of swollen and degenerated mitochondria were observed in principalcells,clear cells,apical cells and basal cells of epididymal epithelium,as well as insmooth muscle cells of the ductus epididymidis and in endothelial cells of the capil-laries in epididymal interstitium during a period of 3～30 days after administrationof low dose of ?-chlorohydrin combined with glycidol(5 mg ?-chlorohydrin plus75mg glycidol/kg/day?2),which previously has been proved to be effective inmale rat antifertility.Additionally,Golgi vacuoles,pinocytotic vesicles,multivesicularbodies,stereocilia and smooth endoplasmic reticulum in the apical cytoplasm of someprincipal cells occasionally were found to decrease in number.No Morphologicalchanges of the nuclei were found in these affected cells.The number of morphologi-cally unchanged mitochondria appears to become more with extended time after drugswithdrawal.2.In the group treated with the large combined dose of the drugs(20 mg ?-chlorohydrin plus 100 mg glycidol/kg/day?2),apart from the changes mentionedabove,necrosis and exfoliation of some epididymal epithelial cells could be found.Some lesions of the sperm,such as the destruction of the cytoplasmic membrane,swelling of mitochondria and pyknosis of nucleus were present in a few specimenstaken from this group.3.Effects similiar to that of the combined use of the drugs were also found ingroups using ?-chlorohydrin or glycidol alone,but a less degree of lesions revealed.These observations suggested that the antifertile effects of ?-chlorohydrin andglycidol either used in combination or alone could result injury of mitochondria inepididymal epithelial cells,which should lead to the decrease of the function ofepididymis,hence to interfere with the maturation of the sperm in it.