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Biology of Reproduction, Vol 25, 217-226, Copyright © 1981 by Society for the Study of Reproduction
1 Department of Cell Biology and Department of Pathology,
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Dallas,
Dallas, Texas 75235 A new approach to quantification of spermatogenesis has been applied to human testes to
investigate germinal cell attrition during spermiogenesis and to derive an appropriate time divisor
for the determination of daily sperm production from numbers of homogenization-resistant
spermatids in unfixed human testes. Glutaraldehyde fixation of testes from 10 men rendered nuclei
of even the most immature germinal cells resistant to homogenization. Prevention of dissolution of
cell nuclei during homogenization permitted enumeration of the entire constellation of germinal
cell nuclei by phase-contrast microscopy. Thus, investigation of attrition during spermatogenesis
became possible. Since daily sperm production per gram of parenchyma (DSP/g) was similar
(P>0.05) when based on enumeration of round spermatids (5.5 x 106), maturation-phase spermatids (5.8 x 106), and all spermatids (5.9 x 106), no attrition was detected during human spermiogenesis. Agreement (P>0.05) between these three estimates and DSP/g based on histometric
analysis of round spermatids in the same testes (5.9 x 106) validated the new technique for quantifying spermatogenesis. The number of homogenization-resistant spermatids in unfixed tissue was
only 37% of the number of maturation-phase spermatids in homogenates of fixed, contralateral
testes. Thus, previous estimates of DSP/g in humans from homogenates of unfixed testis are low
and should be approximated by multiplying published data by the reciprocal of 0.37 (i.e., 2.7).
When the corrected time divisor of 2.9 days (7.9-day time divisor for maturation-phase spermatids
multiplied by the correction factor of 0.37) was employed to convert numbers of homogenization-resistant spermatids from unfixed testes to DSP, a value of 5.6 x 106 was obtained for these
10 men. No difference (P>0.05) was found among the five estimates of DSP/g.
Note:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thanks are due Grace Lau, Cathy Giddings,
and Noel Lewandos for providing expert technical
assistance.
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