Alteraciones histológicas debidas al envejecimiento en el tútbulo seminífero del hamster sirio (Mesocricetus auratus) cambios en la proliferación celular

Abstract

A very current area of research is the study of the causes of aging. In the field of reproductive biology the aging is important by their implications both in medicine and veterinary. If for many years the studies have focused on women or females to explain the reproductive decline with age it is now being paid more attention to male factor. These studies address several aspects: endocrine changes, abnormal sperm, transmission of hereditary diseases, or the need for testosterone replacement therapy in older age. Regarding the histological changes of aging testes, they have conducted several studies for decades, but have left some issues unclear and have focused on humans and rats. Alongside this, in recent years, several authors have proposed that the mechanism involved in decrease of spermatogenesis with age, is related to changes in the balance between proliferation / apoptosis in the seminiferous epithelium. In this thesis we have proposed on the one hand, a complete histological analysis of qualitative and quantitative changes that occur with age in the seminiferous epithelium and tubular wall of the Syrian hamster. Furthermore, we have also investigated whether this proliferation in the epithelium altered is linked with the histological changes observed in it. To do this, we use male hamsters 6, 12 and 24 months old. The testes were fixed and processed for conventional light microscopy, immunohistochemistry and transmission electron microscopy. A semiquantitative histological study of sections of seminiferous tubules for determining the degree of gradual deterioration with age, in its epithelium was performed with age. Immunoreactivity to laminin and fibronectin in the tubular wall and proliferating cells was identified. Morphometrically a series of testicular parameters and the total volume of fibronectin and laminin immunoreactivity was calculated. The total proliferation index as the number of proliferating cells by histologic type of tubular section was calculated. Finally, with ultrathin sections, an ultrarestructural description of seminiferous epithelium, and thickness determination of tubular wall was performed. In aged animals a significant increase in the tubular sections with various disorders especially hypospermatogenesis of seminiferous epithelium and arrest of spermatogenesis was observed. The testicular volume, diameter and volume as epithelial volume of seminiferous tubule suffered a significant decrease with age, on the contrary an increased tubule length was observed. An increase in fibronectin and laminin volume in old animals and less proliferation rate in these animals was determined. The number of proliferating cells per histologic section of seminiferous type tubule, progressively and significantly decrease in altered sections respect to normal sections. No significant differences respect to age between histological types sections of seminiferous tubule was observed. Ultrastructurally important cytological changes were observed in the Sertoli cell and the process of spermiogenesis. The wall thickening showed an increase significant in normal, hipospermatogenic and spermatogenesis arrest tubules. The number of proliferating cells per histologic section of seminiferous type tubule, progressively and significantly decrease in altered sections respect to normal sections. In conclusion, the aging of the seminiferous tubule hamster suppose a loss of spermatogenic activity which is related to changes in the tubule and its wall. These changes do not occur uniformly throughout the tubule and they associated with a decrease in cell proliferation in altered tubular areas. These areas also have Sertoli cells with a modified ultrastructure.