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Query: UNIPROT:P56851 (epididymal)
 11,273 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The motility of spermatozoa from successive segments of human and animal epididymides was examined under the phase-contrast microscope. The segments were taken from laboratory rodents unilaterally vas ligated for three to five months and from human orchiectomy specimens. Evidence for testicular alteration, caused by epididymal stasis proven by the phase-contrast motility profile, was sought by weight, gross observation, and histologic examination. Two observations were made on the animals: (1) the ligature about the vas seldom resulted in epididymal stasis because the ligature cut through the muscular wall of the vas (permitting a leak);and, (2) when stasis was achieved, gross and microscopic alterations of the testis from the normal were inevitable. The observations of the human material showed that a progressive loss of sperm motility during passage through the epididymis occurred in more than one half the specimens. The motility profile of these epididymides closely resembled that seen in the unilaterally vas-ligated animals. The suggestion is made that senescence of a testicle may be caused by occlusion of its excurrent ducts. These observations seemed to support the hypothesis that faulty sperm transport and faulty maturation, becuase of epididymal rupture and fibrosis (rather than the presence of autoantibodies to sperm) probably cause the unreliability of vasovasostomy. Storage of frozen semen offers more certainty than the possibility of successful vasovasostomy.
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PMID:When and why does occlusion of the vas deferens affect the testis? 80 7

Experiments were performed to establish the daily level of testicular production of spermatozoa, the distribution of spermatozoa within the epididymis, and the time required for transport of spermatozoa through the epididymis in 8 sexually rested rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) of at least 6 years of age. The daily production of spermatozoa was similar among all animals, averaging a production rate of 23 times 10 (6) sperm/gm of testicular parenchyma per day. However, the weight of testicular parenchyma ranged from 15 to 32 gm. Per testis , the average daily spermatozoal production was found to be 547 plus or minus 69 tomes 10(6). Consequently, the normal average production of spermatozda for the rhesus monkey per day during the breeding seasson is about 1.1 times 10(9). The number of sperm in the caput, corpus, and cauda epididymis was found to be .6 plus or minus .1, 2.1 plus or minus .3, and 2.9 plus or minus .3 times 10(9), respectively. 1 plus or minus .1 times 10(9) sperm were found in the proximal 49-70 mm of the ductus deferens. The mean transport times of sperm through the caput, corpus, and cauda epididymis were approximately 1.1, 3.8, and 5.6 days, respectively. The rate of transport of sperm through the epididymis was virtually the same between 2-5.5 days, even though a 265-fold difference in epididymal reserves was found. The results indicate that sperm matures within the epididymis of this species within 5 days.
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PMID:Daily spermatozoal production, epididymal spermatozoal reserves and transit time of spermatozoa through the epididymis of the rhesus monkey. 82 87

The factors regulating the physiology of the epididymis and the induction of functional sterility by alteration of epididymal function are discussed. The threshold requirement of androgens to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the epididymis in the rat, hamster and monkey is much higher than that needed by the accessory glands. Further, the cauda epididymidis has a higher threshold requirement of androgens than the caput epididymidis and may reflect the differences in the availability and metabolism of androgens to these two segments. An inverse relationship exists between the levels of sialic acid (sialoproteins) in the epididymal luminal plasma and that bound to the spermatozoa in the cauda epididymidis. Androgen deprivation and consequent alteration of the secretory activity of the epididymis either by castration or by treatment with antiserum to LH or by the antiandrogen, cyproterone acetate, caused concurrent decrease in the levels of sialic acid in the luminal plasma and in the spermatozoa of the different regions of the epididymis. These changing patterns of sialic acid in the spermatozoa and luminal plasma may be associated with changes in the surface charge of the spermatozoa and the stabilization of the acrosome and its membranes during sperm maturation.
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PMID:Physiology of the epididymis and induction of functional sterility in the male. 82 28

The testes and excurrent ducts of four bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) were examined using scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The three layers of contractile and connective tissue composing the tunica albuginea, and the multilayered tunica propria of the seminiferous tubules were similar to that of man. Spermatids project from the epithelium or are found free in the lumen. The stages of the cycle of the germinal epithelium in the bonnet macaque were similar to that in other macaques. The epithelium of the rete testis consisted of thin brush-bordered cells, whereas the epithelium of the efferent ducts consisted of tall, prismatic or cylindrical cells lined by kinocillia or short stereocilia and basal cells. The height of the epididymal epithelium and lumen diameter was maximal in the caput region and minimal at the cauda. Spermatozoa were found among clusters of stereocilia. The epithelium of the vas deferens showed gradual transition from the stereocilia covering typical of the epididymis to that of a shorter, apical microvilli covering.
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PMID:Ultrastructure of testes and excurrent ducts in the bonnet monkey (Macaca radiata). 82 29

In vivo samples of epididymal fluids were obtained through the use of micropuncture techniques. Microsamples from four areas of the rat epididymis were analyzed for Na+ and K+ concentrations and for sperm density. Na+ values declined significantly from caput to corpus epididymidis (P less than 0.01), while K+ and sperm concentrations increased significantly (P less than 0.01). A large water loss from the epididymal lumen was calculated, as well as net losses of both cations. Water losses may be explained on the basis of an active Na+ pump; however, the effect of the absolute values of epididymal Na+ and K+ concentrations on sperm motility and fertility remains unresolved.
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PMID:In vivo sodium, potassium, and sperm concentrations in the rat epididymis. 83 32

The effect of age at hypophysectomy on the response of the regressed rat testis to testosterone propionate (TP) and FSH with respect to androgen-binding protein (ABP) levels was studied in individual animals. All treatments were begun 30 days after surgery. Treatment of rats 35, 45, 55 and 75 days of age at surgery with TP (1 mg/260 g for 25 days) significantly increased the level of ABP in the testes of animals in all age groups except those hypophysectomized at 35 days of age. TP treatment did not significantly elevate epididymal levels of ABP above those found in untreated rats in any age group. In animals hypophysectomized at 100 days of age, acute treatment (3 days) with FSH (150 and 300 mug/day) significantly increases the ABP levels per testis and per epididymis. Similar treatment with 750 mug TP/day did not result in a statistically significant increase in testicular ABP. No synergism between the two hormones was noted under the conditions described. Significant restoration of testicular ABP levels per mg protein was achieved with 1 mg TP/day by 5 days of treatment. Treatment of hypophysectomized adult rats with FSH raised the epididymal/testicular ratio of ABP to about 40% of that found in intact rats while comparable treatment with TP (750 mug/day for 3 days or 1 mg/day for 10 days) only slightly affected the ratio. It is postulated that FSH may facilitate ABP transport to the epididymis in addition to affecting its production by the testis.
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PMID:Effect of testosterone propionate on ABP levels in rats hypophysectomised at different ages using individual sampling. 83 63

Glycoprotein dynamism in the mouse epididymis was studied by means ofhistoautoradiography after injection of L-fucose-1-3H. The label was detected, at thirty minutes p.i., in the area occupied by Golgi apparatus in the epithelial cells. At 4 h p.i. the label was already present inthe lumen of ductus epididymidis. At this time interval, the luminal labelling was highest in the initial segment of the epididymis and decreased against the more distal segments considerably. At ten days p.i. very high labelling was detected in the luminal contents in the terminal segment of the ductus epididymidis and in ductus deferens, the labelling in the proximal segments of the epididymis being much lower. These observations suggested a wave of labelled glycoprotein in epididymal plasma passing through the epididymis after a fucose pulse. Higher labelling was detected in so-called "clrial was seen in epididymal and uterine spermatozoa, mostly in sperm tail region.
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PMID:An autoradiographic study of macromolecular syntheses in the epithelium of the ductus epididymidis in the mouse. II. Incorporation of L-fucose-1-3H. 83 11

Young adult male rats were administered medroxyprogesterone (Provera, Upjohn) alone and in combination with testosterone,as has been done to inhibit male fertility. The histology and the fine structure of several segments of the epididymis, the ventral prostate, and the seminal vesicle were studied at intervals after treatment for up to 16 weeks. The epididymides of treated animals weighed less than those of control rats. Microscopic alterations in the epididymis were similar in rats treated with Provera alone and in those animals that received Provera and testosterone, but the changes varied with the segment of the epididymis. In the middle segment in the caput epididymidis, the normally abundant luminal sperm were absent but the epithelium retained its normal ultrastructural features. In the terminal segment in the cauda epididymidis, different changes were observed in the proximal and distal portions. In the proximal cauda epididymidis, the lumen was small, irregular in outline, and virtually devoid of sperm. The light cells of the epididymal epithelium in the proximal cauda contained extremely large numbers of dense bodies resembling lysosomes, which occupied most of the supranuclear and basal cytoplasm. In contrast, in the distal part of the cauda epididymidis, the epithelium had a normal appearance but the lumen was filled with debris, sperm, and spherical masses of cytoplasm that were apparently derived from germ cells. It is suggested that the clearing of the lumen of the proximal cauda epididymidis may reflect the greater activity of light cells of the epididymal epithelium in that region. Although alterations in spermatogenesis may be most important in the antifertility effect of progestin and androgen, these alterations in epididymal sperm and epithelium may also play a role. The weights of the prostate and seminal vesicles of rats treated with Provera (1 mg/100 g/day) were greatly reduced compared to those of control rats. Although there was considerable variation, in many specimens treated with Provera alone the epithelium of the prostate showed a change from a columnar to a cuboidal or squamous shape, and there was a reduction in the size and abundance of organelles involved in the formation of secretions. The microscopic structure of the seminal vesicle of rats treated with Provera was less severely affected than the prostate. Although the seminal vesicle epithelium of Provera-treated rats was generally not as tall as in control animals, the cells possessed parallel cisternae of rough endoplasmic reticulum, secretory vacuoles, and an active-appearing Golgi apparatus, suggesting that they continued to be able to form secretions in the presence of Provera. The weights of the sex accessory glands were maintained at control levels by the administration of testosterone, 100 mug/100 g/day, along with the Provera. A normal fine structure was present in the epithelium of both the prostate and seminal vesicle of rats administered this amount of testosterone in addition to Provera...
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PMID:The influence of progestin and androgen on the fine structure of the male reproductive tract of the rat. II. Epididymis and sex accessory glands. 84 79

Male rats were treated with 5 or 20 mg cyproterone acetate/kg/day or 20 mg cyproterone/rat/day for 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 weeks. There was some reduction in fertility with both compounds, the maximum effect occurring after 5 weeks with the higher dose of cyproterone acetate and after 2 weeks with cyproterone. A significant increase in testosterone levels was found after treatment with the high dose of cyproterone acetate by 1 week and with cyproterone by 2 weeks. Dose-dependent atrophy of the seminal vesicles occurred after treatment with cyproterone acetate; with cyproterone atrophy occurred at 1 and 2 weeks but approximated to control values at 3, 4 and 5 weeks. Epididymal weights were reduced with the high dose of cyproterone acetate but the low dose had little effect. Reduction in the weight of the testes was only observed after 5 weeks of treatment with the high dose of cyproterone acetate. Since plasma testosterone levels were not depressed below normal values, accessory sex organ regression evidently resulted from the local antiandrogenic action of the drugs. There was some indication of interference with the secretory and absorptive activity of the lining cells of the epididymis but in general treatment with either steroid caused only relatively small and variable changes in the composition of epididymal plasma.
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PMID:Some effects of cyproterone and cyproterone acetate on the reproductive physiology of the male rat. 85 Feb 14

Weight, histological and biochemical changes in the rat epididymis were investigated during prepubertal, pubertal and postpubertal periods. The phase of most rapid growth of the epididymis commenced at 21 days and extended to 60 days of age; this period corresponded closely to the onset of androgen production at 3 weeks and stabilization of the leydig cell number at 60 days. Histological differentiation in the caput epididymis started before sperm entry and was complete in the cauda only several days after the spermatozoa had appeared. The presence of appreciable quantities of glycerophosphorylcholine (GPC) and sialic acid in the epididymis of 21-day-old rats suggested inherent secretory ability of the epididymal epithelium. The concentrations of GPC, sialic acid, phospholipids and glycogen in the epididymis gradually increased with age, but each came under the influence of androgen at a different age. There was no evidence to suggest that the presence of spermatozoa has a stimulatory effect on the epididymis. Maximal secretory activity of the epididymis became established only by 90 days of age.
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PMID:Functional maturation of the epididymis in the rat. 85 Feb 19


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