title: Neonatal estrogen treatment with β-estradiol 17-cypionate induces in post-pubertal mice inflammation in the ductuli efferentes, epididymis, and vas deferens, but not in the testis, provoking obstructive azoospermia.
abstract: Neonatal estrogen treatment (NET) induces morphological changes in male reproductive organs. NET with β-estradiol 17-cypionate is reported to induce inflammation with stromal-epithelial abnormalities in the prostate and seminal vesicles in post-pubertal mice. The aim of this study was to investigate the histopathology of the testis, ductuli efferentes, epididymis, and vas deferens in mice after NET with β-estradiol 17-cypionate. No morphological changes in these organs were observed until 4 weeks after NET. However, some inflammatory cells were found in epididymis and vas deferens 6 weeks after NET. Eight weeks after NET, inflammatory cells spread to the ductuli efferentes and inflammation was severe from 6 to 12 weeks after NET. Inflammatory cells were never seen in the whole testis, but cystic dilatation of the rete testes with spermatogenic disturbance was found around the mediastinum testis. Many inflammatory cells emigrated into the lumen of the epididymis, resulting in complete absence of spermatozoa in the vas deferens. Most of the inflammatory cells penetrating into the epithelial layers of epididymal ducts were neutrophils. These results indicate that in post-pubertal mice, NET with β-estradiol 17-cypionate induces inflammation in the ductuli efferentes, epididymis, and vas deferens, but not in the testis, provoking obstructive azoospermia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8402, Japan, munekazu@tokyo-med.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Munekazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: Hayato
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Terayama
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: Naoyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hatayama
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kawamura
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Itoh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D053713:Azoospermia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D004543:Ejaculatory Ducts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D004822:Epididymis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004958:Estradiol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D005260:Female; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D020556:Neutrophil Infiltration / Q000187:drug effects; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013997:Time Factors; D014649:Vas Deferens / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D004958:Estradiol; C007630:estradiol 17 beta-cypionate