Morphometric changes among testis of autoimmune mouse model and healthy strains

Abstract

Objective: to compare morphometrically among testis of the healthy strains (C57BL/6N and MRL/MpJ) and autoimmune mouse model  (MRL/MpJ-Fas^lpr) revealing how the autoimmune disease affect cells lining the seminiferous tubules which in turn cause infertility. Design: Descriptive study.
Sample: The testis of both healthy strains (C57BL/6N and MRL/MpJ) and autoimmune mouse model (MRL/MpJ-Fas^lpr) at early (3 months)  and late (6 months) age were used (4 mice from each strain and age).
Procedures: The testis were removed, fixed and immunostained by PAX7, CKIT, GATA4 as well as Hoechest to reveal the morphometric  changes among them at early (3 months) and late (6 months) age.
Results: Both MRL/MpJ and MRL/MpJ-Fas^lpr testis at 6 months showed significant decrease of GATA4 positive cells while their parent  strain (C57BL/6N) testis showed significant increase. Furthermore, MRL/MpJ and MRL/MpJ-Fas^lpr 6 months testis revealed a significant  increase in sertoli cell index when counted for CKIT positive cells and significant decrease in their parent strain at the same age, while all studied strains showed a non-significant decrease in sertoli cell index when counted for PAX7 positive cells at 6 months of age.  Conclusion and clinical relevance: We concluded that the normal age-related changes including decrease of spermatogenic cells (PAX7  and CKIT positive cells) and increase of sertoli cells (GATA4 positive cells) occurred in the parent strain (C57BL/6N) while deviated than  normal at late age of both MRL/MpJ and MRL/MpJ-Fas^lpr.