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This study investigated the effects of rutin against reproductive damage caused by toxic mercury in male rats. Thirty-five Sprague Dawley rats were used. Control group was injected with saline for 7 days. The rutin-100 group received 100 mg/kg/b.w. rutin for 7 days. Mercuric chloride (HgCl2 ) group received 1.23 mg/kg/b.w. of HgCl2 for 7 days. Mercury chloride + rutin-50 group received 50 mg/kg/b.w. rutin and HgCl2 1.23 mg/kg/b.w. for 7 days. HgCl2 + rutin-100 group received 100 mg/kg/b.w. rutin and HgCl2 1.23 mg/kg/b.w. for 7 days. It was detected that HgCl2 treatment increased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expressions, necrosis and degeneration of spermatogonium, dead and abnormal sperm percentages; tubular walls thinning; and decreased antioxidant enzyme activities and sperm motility. It was determined that rutin application reduced testicular damage caused by HgCl2 . In conclusion, rutin administration may treat HgCl2 toxicity in testes.

The identification system of spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) was established in alpaca using the molecular expression as well as the reactivity pattern to Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) by flow cytometry. Twenty-four testicles with their epididymis were recovered from adult alpacas at the slaughterhouse of Huancavelica-Peru. Samples were transported to the Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology at Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Testes were selected for our study when the progressive motility of epididymal spermatozoa (ESPM) was above 30%. Isolation of SSC was performed with two enzymatic digestions. Finally, sperm viability was evaluated by means of the trypan blue vital stain in spermatogonial round cells. Samples with more than 80% viability were selected. Isolated cells cultured for 2 days were used for identifying the presence of SSCs by the expression of integrin beta1 (116 bp) and PLZF (206 bp) genes. Spermatogonia were classified according to the DBA reactivity. Spermatogonia with a strong positive to DBA (sDBA(+) ) were classified as SSC (Mean +/- SEM=4.44 +/- 0.68%). Spermatogonia in early differentiation stages stained weakly positive with DBA (wDBA(+) ) (Mean +/- SEM=37.44 +/- 3.07%) and differentiated round cells as DBA negative (Mean +/- SEM=54.12 +/- 3.18%). With the use of molecular and DBA markers, it is possible to identify easily the spermatogonial stem cells in alpaca.

A preliminary report on the selective effect of Vinca rosea L. alkaloids on Type A4 rat spermatogonium is presented. 4 adult rats were injected ip with 15 mcg of vincristine and sacrificed 48 hours postinjection while 10 rats were injected with 40 mcg of vinblastine and were sacrificed at time intervals up to 48 hours postinjection. Spermatogonial degeneration was greatest for Type A cells and was lower for Types B and intermediate (In) cells in spite of the higher mitotic indexes of these cells. Since A4 spermatogonia can either form stem cells that will divide in the next cycle or evolve to the more "differentiated" In and B spermatogonia A4 degerneration was taken to represent failure of these cells to follow this path.

We evaluated the role of the sensitive quantitative telomerase assay (SQTA) in the management of men with non-mosaic Klinefelter's syndrome (KS). Diagnostic testicular biopsy (DTB) was performed in 24 men with KS. A part of the DTB was stained and the remaining fragment was processed for the SQTA. After 3-18 months, a therapeutic testicular biopsy (TTB) was performed in the same testicle and the recovered specimens were processed to identify spermatozoa. Men with a SQTA outcome equal to 0.00 Units microg-1 protein (n = 7) demonstrated therapeutic testicular biopsy material that was negative for spermatogenic cells. In five men with a SQTA outcome of 8.11-38.03 Units microg-1, the most advanced germ cell was the spermatogonium/primary spermatocyte. In the remaining 12 men, the most advanced spermatogenic cell in the TTB was the spermatozoon. In these men, the SQTA outcome was equal to 25.76-92.68 Units microg-1 protein. Using 39.00 Units microg-1 protein as a cut-off value, the accuracy of the SQTA in identifying men positive for spermatozoa was 91.6%. It appears that the SQTA has a role for identifying non-mosaic KS men who have testicular spermatozoa. Andrologia