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Abstract

Indicators of insult to the male reproductive system can be incorporated into standard toxicology studies so that the assessment of reproductive toxicity does not interfere with the general toxicologic evaluation. This can include assessment of testicular spermatids, or sperm from the epididymis, or vas deferens, or assessment of semen collected from the female reproductive tract postcoitally. Endpoints evaluated may include sperm count, motility, or sperm head morphology. Testicular morphology also may be evaluated by various improved histologic techniques. For example, when testes are immersion-fixed in formalin, testicular morphology is significantly improved by embedding the tissue in the water-soluble plastic glycol methacrylate (GMA) rather than paraffin. These approaches to male reproductive toxicology are cost-effective and reduce the number of animals required for pilot or survey studies for testicular toxicity. They can provide useful data on male reproductive function.

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Experimental Methods for Studying Male Reproductive Function in Standard Toxicology Studies

Abstract

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