title: [Effects of multi-glycosides of tripterygium wilfordii on histological structures and c-kit expression in testes of pubertal rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the short- and long-term effects of multi-glycosides of tripterygium wilfordii (GTWon) the histological structures of testes in pubertal rats and possible mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-eight 5-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly intragastrically administered with low-does GTW(6 g/kg daily)and high-does GTW (12 mg/kg daily) or 1% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (6 mL/kg, control group)  for four weeks. The testes were sampled for detecting histological structures and c-kit expression by immunohistochemistry 24 hrs and four weeks after drug discontinuance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The number of spermatogenic cells and the expression of c-kit in testes were reduced in the two GTW treatment groups 24 hrs and 4 weeks after drug discontinuance compared with those in the control group(P<0.05). Four weeks after drug discontinuance atrophy and interstitial edema of seminiferous epitheliumin in testes were observed, and the testis weight and the expression of c-kit in testes were reduced in the high-does GTW group compared with those in the control group (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the parameters observed between the low-dose GTW and the control group 4 weeks after drug discontinuance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GTW has adverse effects on testes in a dose-dependent manner in puberty rats. Low-dose GTW may cause reversible short-term injuries to testis tissues. The damage of the interstitial tissue of testes induced by high-dose GTW may be one of the causes of long-term injuries of testes.
authors: Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan , China.
authors: Qian
authors: Q
authors: Leng
authors: Rui-Qin
authors: RQ
authors: Cui
authors: Biao
authors: B
authors: Lu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006027:Glycosides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013076:Sperm Count; D013737:Testis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D029757:Tripterygium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006027:Glycosides; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit