Cytology of germ cells in the scrotal testes of naturally unilateral cryptorchid West African dwarf goats

Abstract

The present study compares the light and ultrastructure of germ cells between testes of normal bucks and the scrotal testes of unilateral cryptorchid bucks using light, electron microscopic and immuno-histochemistry techniques. Both testes showed evidence of normal spermatogenesis characterised by presence of complete germ line. In the two groups studied, types A and B spermatogonia were lying close to the basal lamina and exhibited their respective typical morphology. The spermatocytes were of two main types, primary and secondary. The spermatocytes were round and distributed from the basal to the luminal compartments. The primary spermatocytes were in various stages of meiotic divi-sions. Secondary spermatocytes were observed only at stage 4 of the seminiferous epithelial cycle. Spermatids exhibited complex morphological configuration suggestive of normal spermiogenesis. Evidence of spermiation, characterised by the presence of mature spermatozoa in the lumen of the seminiferous tubule was observed in testes of normal and scrotal testes of unilateral cryptorchid bucks. Eight stages of the seminiferous epithelia cycle were observed in the scrotal testes of the cryptorchid and testes of the normal bucks. Also, cellular composition of each stage was similar in the normal and scrotal testes of the cryptorchid bucks. Similar immunoreactivity expression for vimectin, vascular endothelial growth factor, estrogen and fibroblast growth factor respectively, were recorded in the two groups studied. The findings in the present study suggest the presence of morphologically normal germ cells and normal cell associations in the scrotal testes of naturally unilateral cryptorchid West African Dwarf bucks.

Keywords

• cryptorchidism
• cytology
• germ cells
• goat
• immunohistochemistry