Fertility of the monorchid rat after partial resection of testes.
Regeneration of the seminiferous tubules was tested in monorchid rats whose testes were resected 25%, 50%, and 75% of the wet weight of testis. After a 50-day recovery the animals were paired with primiparous rats to verify the male fertility. All the rats with 25% of testicular resection sired young, while those with 75% of resection were sterile. Among rats that suffered 50% of resection, only 17% were fertile. A comparative histomorphometry of the control testes and the resected testes demonstrated that parenchyma of the adult rat testis was not able to regenerate. However, the fertilizing capacity of rats depended on the amount of preserved testicular parenchyma.
D000818:Animals; D005298:Fertility; D008297:Male; D009919:Orchiectomy; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012038:Regeneration; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors