title: Cell proliferation in the seminiferous and epididymal epithelia of Sus domesticus.
abstract: It is important to understand the proliferative activity of the different structures of the male reproductive apparatus in livestock species, such as Sus domesticus, to ensure reproductive efficiency. The main aims of this study were (a) to evaluate the proliferative activity of the spermatogonia in the different stages of the seminiferous cycle and (b) to study the cell proliferation in the epididymal epithelium in each region, identifying the different cells involved. For this, the testes and epididymis of three healthy, sexually mature Sus domesticus boars were used. The organs were processed for light microscopy, and immunohistochemical techniques were used to detect proliferating cell nuclear antigen. The cells immunostaining positively and negatively for proliferating cell nuclear antigen were counted and several parameters and indexes were calculated to evaluate the proliferation in both epithelia, taking into account the stage of the seminiferous epithelium cycle, and, in the case of the epididymal epithelium, the different regions and cells are the same. Finally, a contrast analysis of equality between pairs of means was carried out followed by a least significant differences test, in which differences were considered significant at P < 0.05. In the seminiferous epithelium, the greatest total number of spermatogonia and proliferating spermatogonia was observed in the postmeiotic stages (mainly VII and VIII). The proliferation index of the spermatogonia increased from the meiotic to postmeiotic stages. As regards the epididymal epithelium, the total proliferation index was higher in the caput. In each region, the clear and principal cells showed the highest proliferation index with respect to the total number of cells counted, whereas the proliferation index of each cell with respect to the same type was higher in the clear cells, followed by the narrow and principal cells. In conclusion, the proliferative activity of spermatogonia in the seminiferous epithelium of Sus domesticus is stage-dependent, and mainly occurs in the postmeiotic stages. In the epididymal epithelium, proliferative activity takes place in several cell types and is dependent on the anatomical region of the epididymis. We think that these results may be of importance for understanding the pathologic or reproductive processes in which cell proliferation is involved in the male reproductive system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Histology, IMIB, Medical School, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Bernal-Mañas
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Histology, IMIB, Medical School, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Beltrán-Frutos
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Histology, IMIB, Medical School, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Histology, IMIB, Medical School, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Seco-Rovira
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, Campus de Montilivi, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pinart
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, Campus de Montilivi, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Briz
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Biology Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Girona, Campus de Montilivi, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonet
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, Medical School, University of Murcia, Campus de Espinardo, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canteras
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Biology and Histology, IMIB, Medical School, Regional Campus of International Excellence "Campus Mare Nostrum", University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain. Electronic address: bioetica@um.es.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Pastor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D008540:Meiosis; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000166:cytology*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000166:cytology; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology
keywords: Boar; Epididymis; Proliferating cell nuclear antigen; Proliferation; Seminiferous epithelium; Testes