title: Determination of Sertoli cell numbers in the developing rat testis by stereological methods.
abstract: Stereological studies were performed to determine the number of Sertoli cells present during the postnatal development of the rat testes. Sprague-Dawley rats aged from 1 to 70 days were used in two experiments, and in each were fixed by vascular perfusion and embedded in Epon-Araldite, subsequent to which 1 micron sections stained with Toluidine blue were prepared. In the first experiment, rats aged from 1 to 20 days were used in groups of three, and number estimates were made using a direct counting method. In the second, which used groups of four rats aged from 20 to 70 days, a point sampled intercept was used to estimate nuclear volume and thence number. The results of the experiments indicate that the newborn rat testis contains 1.3 +/- 0.2 x 10(6) Sertoli cells and that this number increases to 38.4 +/- 2.7 x 10(6) at day 15. No further increase in Sertoli cell number occurred thereafter up to day 70 of age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
authors.forename: Z X
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Wreford
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: De Kretser
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D013737:Testis / Q000254:growth & development*