Structure of the ellipsoid sheath in the spleen of the armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). A light and electron microscopic study

A seasonal study of the seminal vesicles in relation to that of the testes had been conducted in the catfish, H. fossilis. The annual reproductive cycle of the catfish has been divided into (i) Preparatory period (February–April), (ii) Prespawning period (May–June), (iii) Spawning period (July–August) and (iv) Postspawning period (September–January). Testes exhibit initiation of spermatogenesis in the mid-preparatory period, but significant increase in weight of the testes accompanied by active spermatogenesis occurs during the prespawning period. In the spawning period, the testes are maximally enlarged and their seminiferous tubules are packed with spermatozoa. Following spawning, the testes gradually regress in the postspawning period. The seminal vesicles show initiation of secretory activity during the preparatory period but their recrudescence lags behind that of the testes by about a month. The seminal vesicles attain maximum weight and secretory activity during the spawning period. Thereafter, the seminal vesicles regress precipitously and sooner than the testes. The histochemical and biochemical studies on the seminal vesicles indicate that the secretion contains mucoproteins, acid mucopolysaccharides, primary proteoses, besides traces of phospholipids and native proteins.     

Seasonal effects of pinealectomy on testicular recrudescence and secretory activity of seminal vesicles in the catfish Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch)

The effects of pinealectomy on testicular activity and secretory activity of seminal vesicles were examined in the catfish Heteropneustes fossilis under various combinations of photoperiod and temperature during different periods of the annual reproductive cycle. Pinealectomy had no effect on gonadal activity during the preparatory, prespawning and spawning periods of the reproductive cycle. However, during the postspawning period, under long (LD 14:10) or short (LD 9:15) photoperiod at 25° C or at gradually increasing ambient temperature, pinealectomy accelerated testicular recrudescence and secretory activity of the seminal vesicles. Nevertheless. during this period the presence of the pineal facilitated the recrudescence of testes and seminal vesicles in catfish exposed to continuous light (LL), continuous darkness (DD) and 12 hL:l2 hD (LD) at 25° C. These findings suggest that the role of the pineal in catfish reproduction is variable and depends upon the photoperiod and temperature regimes to which the fish are exposed, as well as on the time of the year and the state of the reproductive cycle. The results also suggest that the effects of pinealectomy in catfish are mediated through an influence on the hypothalamo-hypophyseal gonadal axis.     

Response of the epididymis, ductus deferens & accessory glands of the castrated prepubertal rhesus monkey to exogenous administration of testosterone or 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone.

The response of the epididymis, ductus deferens, and accessory glands of the castrated prepubertal rhesus monkey to exogenous administration of testosterone or 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) was investigated. 200 or 800 mcg of either steroid/day were administered for 60 days beginning on the day after castration. Castration caused a marked regression of the weight of and secretory function of the reproductive organs; testosterone/DHT stimulated their growth and secretory activity which were maintained at the level of the controls. The weight of the caput epididymides however, was unaffected by testosterone but was stimulated by DHT. DHT caused a greater stimulation of the growth and secretory activity of the reproductive organs than testosterone and also caused a hyperstimulation of secretion by the seminal vesicles. The data, analyzed statistically, show that the accessory organs of the prepubertal rhesus monkey are affected by castration and vary in their response to stimulation by exogenous androgens.     

Androgens affect the processing of secretory protein precursors in the guinea pig seminal vesicle. I. Evidence for androgen-regulated proteolytic processing

The guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium synthesizes and secretes four major secretory proteins (SVP-1-4). Previous work has established that these four proteins are cleaved from two primary translation products in a complex series of protein processing reactions. The present studies suggest that these protein processing reactions are regulated by androgens. In vitro labeling of seminal vesicle proteins revealed significant differences in the patterns of secretory protein intermediates produced by tissue from intact and castrated animals. Seminal vesicle tissue explants from castrated animals secreted a subset of the processing intermediates secreted by tissue from intact animals. The changes in the patterns of secretory protein intermediates became more pronounced with increasing time after castration, and were fully reversible by treatment of castrated animals with testosterone, suggesting that androgens were affecting the processing or secretion of secretory protein precursors. Amino-terminal protein sequencing of secretory protein processing intermediates that accumulate in the seminal vesicle lumen after castration suggests that the guinea pig seminal vesicle contains an androgen-regulated proteolytic processing activity.     

Gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase of rat seminal vesicles; effect of orchidectomy and hormone administration on the transpeptidase in relation to its possible role in secretory activity.

γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase was prepared from rat seminal vesicles by two methods and was found to be similar to rat kidney γ-glutamyl transpeptidase with respect to substrate specificity, stimulation of “glutaminase” activity by maleate, and apparent molecular weight. Histochemical studies demonstrated that γ-glutamyl transpeptidase is concentrated in the secretory epithelium of the seminal vesicle. Like the epithelium itself, the enzyme responds to the presence or absence of testosterone. The content and specific activities of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase and γ-glutamyl cyclotransferase in rat seminal vesicles are low in orchidectomized animals, an effect which is reversed by administration of testosterone but accentuated by estradiol administration. These enzymes may be involved in the secretory functions of the seminal vesicles.     

Roles of neonatal and prepubertal testicular androgens on androgen-induced proliferative response of seminal vesicle cells in adult mice

Male mice were castrated at 0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 60 days of age; daily injections of testosterone propionate (TP, 4 micrograms/g b. wt) were started from day 90. On various days after starting the TP injections, the incorporation of 5-[125I]iodo-2'-deoxyuridine into the whole seminal vesicles was determined as an index for proliferation. The seminal vesicle cells in mice castrated on days 0 and 20 were characterized by low weight (0.5-1 mg) before TP injection, long duration of androgen-induced proliferation (greater than 20 days) with a low peak, and involvement of both epithelial and fibromuscular cells (neonatal castration type). The seminal vesicle cells in mice castrated on days 60 and 40 were characterized by relatively high weight (5-10 mg) before TP injection, short duration of androgen-induced proliferation (10 days) with a high peak, and involvement of only the epithelial cells (adult castration type). In mice castrated on days 0 and 20, the neonatal castration type of androgen-induced proliferation was completely changed to the adult castration type when TP pretreatment (2 micrograms/g b. wt per 12 h) had been given from day 20 to day 40. However, the TP pretreatment given from day 90 to day 110 instead of days 20-40 had no such effect in 140-day old mice castrated on day 0. The present findings suggest that testicular androgens secreted from day 20 to day 40 play an indispensable role in the induction of irreversible proliferative response of the mouse seminal vesicle. The activity of the prepubertal androgens may not be completely compensated by androgen activity at adulthood.     

Ontogenesis and ultrastructure of seminal vesicles of the catfish,Clarias gariepinus

The ontogenesis and structural characteristics of the seminal vesicles in Clarias gariepinus (sharptooth catfish) were studied by light and electron microscopy and are described in detail. The seminal vesicles, beginning as simple protrusions from the vas efferentia, becomes more complex with age. Their distal ends become fingerlike and the bases form palm-like extensions. Juvenile male organs do not reveal any signs of seminal vesicles although spermatogenic tissue is already well delineated. The developing gonads contain clusters of large cells, close to the sperm duct and cysts of the testis, from which seminal vesicles are formed. Secretory epithelium lines the tubules of the seminal vesicles and becomes columnar as the tissue matures. Electron micro-graphs of these epithelial cells reveal two types of cells: opaque cells and cells with very vacuolized cytoplasm. Dense pinocytotic vesicles are present between the membranes of neighbouring seminal tubules and apical cell membranes facing the lumen. Maturation and onset of secretion by the secretory cells is accompanied by morphological changes. Protruding cylindrical cells become shortened, modified to cuboidal, rounded cells that send tubular extensions into the lumen. In the final stage of differentiation, only connective tissue membranes supporting the tubule walls remain intact. At the points of contact between the testis, seminal vesicles, and sperm duct, the epithelia of these organs often become confluent. The distal parts of the seminal vesicles, rarely contain sperm; during spawning sperm accumulated in the proximal tubules of the vesicles. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effect of antiandrogen cyproterone acetate on the action of testosterone on mouse kidney.

The loss of endogenous testosterone in castrated male mice leads to a marked decrease in seminal vesicle and kidney tissue weight. 21 days' administration of exogenous testosterone abolished the effect of castration on the seminal vesicles and kidney tissue. The antiandrogen cyproterone acetate produced significant changes in the target tissue for androgens, i.e. in the seminal vesicles. In every case it blocked the action of both exogenous and endogenous testosterone on the seminal vesicles, but failed to block the "renotropic" action of testosterone, expressed as relative kidney weight. Contrary to its effect on the seminal vesicles, it did not influence relative kidney weight in normal animals. It likewise did not block the effect of exogenous testosterone on kidney tissue. The mechanism of the action of cyproterone acetate in androgen-dependent tissues is known to consist in inhibition of androgen binding to specific cell receptors in the target tissues. Some of the specific androgen receptors in mouse kidney are evidently different in character from those in the accessary sex glands, that being the reason why cyproterone acetate has an antiandrogenic, but not an antirenotropic effect. In agreement with experiments on rats, adrenal weight also decreases in mice after the administration of cyproterone acetate.     

Functional development of sex accessory organs of the male rat. Use of oestradiol benzoate to identify the neonatal period as critical for development of normal protein-synthetic and secretory capabilities.

Functional development of the sex accessory tissues was studied in the male rat. Three potentially crucial developmental periods (neonatal, prepubertal and pubertal) were examined, and then the functional integrity of the accessory tissues was investigated in the adult, when the animals would have been expected to display normal function. Four accessory tissues (the seminal vesicles, ventral prostate and caput and cauda epididymides) were used because of their different embryological origins and responses to androgens in the adult. Synthesis and secretion of previously characterized tissue-specific androgen-dependent proteins were taken as indicators of normal function. Development was perturbed by using oestradiol benzoate, since this was known to affect gross development of the seminal vesicles and ventral prostate when given to neonatal rats. Treatment during the first 5 days after birth severely restricted development of the seminal vesicles and ventral prostate. Protein secreted by the former was only 1% of the normal amount, and in many cases several major secretory proteins were essentially missing. Prostatic protein secretion was less than 20% of normal, but all the major proteins were detectable. In both tissues overall protein synthesis per cell was quantitatively normal, but the proportion devoted to specific major secretory proteins was markedly depressed, i.e. the response is differential. In contrast, treatment during the prepubertal period was without noticeable effects. Development of the seminal vesicles and prostate was somewhat inhibited by treatment at puberty, but these changes were minor compared with those after neonatal exposure to oestradiol benzoate. No effects on epididymal protein synthesis or secretory proteins were observed, and epididymal weight and DNA content were only moderately decreased regardless of when oestradiol benzoate was administered during sexual maturation. Hence the neonatal period is not so critical for epididymal development. The substantial changes elicited by oestrogen treatment during neonatal life in seminal-vesicle and prostatic protein synthesis and secretion were compared with those evoked in sexually mature males by either oestrogen treatment or castration. Both these latter treatments resulted in a general decrease in seminal-vesicle protein synthesis and secretion, but the marked differential effects on major proteins after neonatal exposure were absent. Castration did, however, evoke a differential prostatic response, but this was not seen after oestrogen treatment of adults.     

Growth related changes in the content of heparin and 5-hydroxytryptamine of mast cells

Summary Fine structural changes of testicular interstitial cells of Leydig and secretory cells of seminal vesicles were studied in golden hamsters under different functional states of the pineal gland. Experiments were performed in the reproductive season (summer months). In the hamsters blinded for 8 weeks the testes and the seminal vesicles were markedly atrophic, and the Leydig cells and the secretory cells of seminal vesicles were extremely involuted. By contrast, both types of cells in the pinealectomized or superior cervical ganglionectomized hamsters exhibited cytological features suggestive of an enhanced secretory activity. This study shows that functional activity of Leydig cells as well as secretory cells of seminal vesicles in the hamster may be depressed or augmented by stimulating or inhibiting the pineal antigonadal function, respectively, without performing hypophysectomy or hormonal administration.Dedicated to Professor Shu Yeh on the occasion of his 70th birthday. This study was supported in part by a grant from the National Science Council, the Republic of China     

Effects on long-term cadmium exposure on the seminal vesicles of mice.

Male CBA-mice were exposed to cadmium by subcutaneous injection of 2-2 mumol CdCl2/kg body weight for 5 days/week for 6 months. A decrease in normal (testosterone-dependent) proteinuria was shown, and morphological examination of the seminal vesicles revealed a smaller weight and size as well as histological indication of lower secretory activity of the epithelium compared to controls. The findings are consistent with a theory implying a decreased testosterone activity in cadmium-treated animals.     

Further regression of seminal vesicles of castrated guinea pig by administration of cyproterone acetate

It has been established that a low level of secretory activity persisted in seminal vesicles of guinea pigs long after castration and that this may be due to a higher extratesticular androgen level in this animal. A RIA study revealed that the normal serum testosterone concentration of the guinea pigs was comparable to that of the rats, but the basal serum testosterone level after castration was ten times higher than rats under a similar condition. It was also shown that cyproterone acetate did not significantly lower the basal serum testosterone concentration in the castrated guinea pigs. The higher basal serum testosterone level is believed to be responsible for the slow and incomplete regression of this gland in the guinea pigs. There was a significant reduction in wet weight of the seminal vesicles after the treatment of castrated guinea pigs with cyproterone acetate. Ultrastructural study showed that there were both qualitative and quantitative changes in the cytoplasmic organelles. The Golgi apparatus further reduced in size and in the number of associated vesicles and vacuoles. There was a marked decrease in the number and size of secretory granules and lysosomes and an increase in the degree of undulation of the basement membrane. Accumulation of lipid droplets and glycogen was commonly observed. All these morphological evidences showed that further regression of the castrated guinea pig seminal vesicles can be achieved by cyproterone acetate treatment.     

Quantitative studies of steroid bioconversions in the seminal vesicles of spawning male African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell), under natural conditions, and of non-spawning catfish under natural and fish farm conditions

1. Steroid bioconversions in the seminal vesicles of Clarias gariepinus were studied quantitatively in vitro by tissue incubations with [3H]pregnenolone, [3H]androstenedione and [14C]11 beta-hydroxyandrostenedione, respectively. 2. Spawning and non-spawning catfish, collected in the Hula nature reserve in northern Israel during the spawning period, and non-spawning animals, collected from a fish pond in the same region during the same period, were studied. 3.Spawning animals showed a significantly higher production of 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone, 5 beta-pregnan-17 alpha-ol-3,20-dione and 5 beta-reduced androgens than non-spawning feral and pond catfish, as a result of a significantly increased contribution of the enzymes 5 beta-reductase and 3 alpha-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD). 4. In spawning catfish the concentration of gonadotropin in blood plasma were also significantly higher than in the plasma of non-spawning feral and pond catfish. This increase in gonadotropin level might have induced the rise in enzyme activity of 5 beta-reductase and 3 alpha-HSD. 5. It is concluded that the absence of a shift in steroidogenesis towards the production of 5 beta-reduced steroids may be among the factors preventing spontaneous spawning in male African catfish under husbandry conditions.     

Seminal toxicity of nickel sulfate in mice

Young male albino mice of Swiss strain were exposed to nickel by oral route of 20 mg nickel sulfate/kg body weight for 5 d/wk for 6 mo. A decrease in normal (testosterone-dependent) proteinuria was shown, and morphological examination of the seminal vesicles revealed a lower weight and smaller size as well as a histological indication of lower secretory activity of the epithelium compared to controls. The findings are consistent with a theory implying a decreased testosterone activity in nickel-treated animals.     

Effect of androgen pretreatments at adulthood on androgen-induced proliferative response of seminal vesicles in neonatally castrated mice

Male mice were castrated on days 0 and 60 after birth. The majority of the neonatally castrated mice were pretreated with androgen; the mice were given daily injections of testosterone propionate (TP; 4 or 8 micrograms/g body wt) for 20 or 30 days starting from day 60. Daily injections of TP (4 micrograms/g body wt) to examine androgen-induced proliferation were started from day 30 or 60 after the end of TP pretreatments or from day 60 after castration; on various days after starting TP injections, the weight and the incorporation of 5-[125I]iodo-2'-deoxyuridine into the whole seminal vesicles were determined as indices for proliferation. The seminal vesicles of neonatally castrated adult mice were characterized by long duration of androgen-induced proliferation (greater than 20 days) with a low peak (neonatal castration type), whereas the seminal vesicles of adult castrated mice were characterized by short duration of proliferation (10 days) with a high peak (adult castration type). In neonatally castrated adult mice, the neonatal castration type of androgen-induced proliferation was changed largely to the adult castration type when pretreatment with 8 micrograms/g body wt of TP had been given for 30 days. However, this effect gradually disappeared when the mice had been pretreated with decreasing amounts of TP for a shorter period. The present findings suggest that the defect in the androgen-induced proliferative response of mouse seminal vesicles induced by the absence of neonatal and prepubertal testicular androgens can be compensated by androgens given in adulthood, if enough androgen is given for a sufficiently long time.     

Acid and neutral alpha-glucosidase in the reproductive organs and seminal plasma of the bull

A synthetic substrate (p-nitrophenyl-alpha-D-glucopyranoside) was used to measure the acid and neutral alpha-glucosidase activity in bull seminal plasma, spermatozoa and in homogenates of bull reproductive organs. Marked differences were observed in the activities of these enzymes in the various tissues studied. Epididymis and particularly its caput region contained the highest specific activity of acid alpha-glucosidase. The activity of neutral alpha-glucosidase was highest in testis and in different parts of the epididymis. Seminal plasma, spermatozoa and seminal vesicle secretion contained only the acid enzyme activity. After fractionation with anion exchange chromatography in HPLC (Mono Q) and chromatofocussing, acid alpha-glucosidase activity of seminal plasma was recovered in two fractions with different pI values. The corresponding activities were found in the secretion of seminal vesicles, which thus form the major secretory source of seminal plasma acid alpha-glucosidase. In the fractionation with gel filtration on Sepharose 6B, the acid alpha-glucosidase had a smaller molecular weight than did the neutral enzyme. In anion exchange chromatography and chromatofocussing the testicular and epididymal homogenates each contained two acid and two neutral isoenzymes. In both fractionations the elution pattern of acid alpha-glucosidase was clearly different from that of the enzymes in seminal plasma. The pH optimum of acid alpha-glucosidase ranged from 3.75 to 4.5 and that of the neutral enzyme from 6.5 to 7.0. The neutral activity was more sensitive to many divalent metal ions and differences were also observed in the response of the enzymes to different concentrations of turanose and KCl.     

Vasoactive intestinal peptide stimulates apical secretion in hamster seminal vesicle epithelial cells in culture

In this study, we investigated the presence of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors in the epithelial cells of the hamster seminal vesicle, by using cell clusters isolated from the gland and cultivated in a serum-free bicameral culture system. An immunocytochemical approach and autoradiographic and biochemical binding experiments with 125I-VIP as radioligand were performed. The effect of this neuropeptide on cultured cell proliferation and protein secretory activity was also analysed. The release of trichloroacetic-acid-precipitable radioactive material by epithelial cells to the apical and basal compartments of the bi-chamber was estimated in absolute and relative terms. The results of this work indicate that: (1) VIP receptors are present in the membranes of clusters of epithelial cells from seminal vesicles and are further maintained in cultured cells; (2) VIP does not exert any mitogenic effect in these cells; (3) VIP affects the directionality of secretion, favouring the absolute and relative amounts of protein released to the apical compartment of the bi-chamber. The expression of VIP receptors in the epithelial cells of the hamster seminal vesicle and the direct secretagogue-like activity of this neuropeptide in these cells might be affected by other factors, namely, androgens.     

Androgens are necessary for the establishment of secretory protein expression in the guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium.

The guinea pig seminal vesicle epithelium (GPSVE) synthesizes and secretes milligram quantities of four related secretory proteins in an androgen-dependent manner. To investigate the role of androgens in the establishment of secretory protein synthesis during the development of the GPSVE, animals were castrated at Day 5, approximately 10 days before secretory protein accumulation begins in intact animals. Castration did not eliminate secretory protein mRNA from the SVE, but it did indefinitely postpone the developmentally programmed increase in secretory protein mRNA. Injection of neonatally castrated guinea pigs with either estradiol or dexamethasone did not alter levels of secretory protein mRNAs. However, treatment of castrated neonates with either testosterone propionate or dihydrotestosterone (DHT) led to specific increases in secretory protein mRNAs within 4 days. Although neonatally castrated animals accumulated and translated significant amounts of secretory protein mRNA, the newly synthesized secretory proteins failed to accumulate until exogenous androgens were provided. This observation suggests that androgens regulate both the accumulation of secretory protein mRNA and the accumulation of secretory proteins in the GPSVE.