Abstract
Adult male rats (200-280 g) were exposed to pressures of 280-250 mm Hg. (25-28,000 ft) 6 hours daily for 14 to 18 days. The mean testicular, seminal vesicle and ventral prostate gland weights ± the Standard Error are shown in Table I. Body weight losses in the experimental animals averaged only 8.7%.
Examination of sections of testes from low pressure-exposed rats (Group A) showed marked degeneration of the spermatogenic cells. Polychromasia and coalescence of cytoplasm, pyknosis of nuclei, and chromatolysis were observed in these reproductive elements. The tubular lumina were devoid of sperm. The interstitial tissue of the testis and epithelium of the seminal vesicle and prostate gland, however, appeared only slightly atrophied. Pituitary glands of the low pressure-subjected animals displayed increases in the numbers of basophiles. Some of these were enlarged and showed signs of degranulation. Others resembled the vacuolated cells occurring in pituitary glands after castration.
The gonadotropic hormone contents of the pituitary glands from normal and low pressure-subjected rats were determined in 48 immature female rats employing the method of Reece and Weatherly. 1 Three assay experiments were performed using pituitary glands from 3 different sets of animals. In each case, the gonadotropic hormone potency was found to be significantly greater in the glands obtained from the low pressure-exposed rats. The mean ovarian weight in the test animals injected with pituitaries from low pressure-exposed animals was 88.3 ± 6.5 mg as against a mean ovarian weight of 62.8 ± 3.9 mg in rats receiving normal pituitary glands.
In another experiment, 8 rats were subjected to the same low pressure treatment but, in addition, were injected intrascrotally twice daily with 20 LIT. pregnancy urine hormone and 10 R.U. pregnant mare serum extract for 3 days preceding and during the entire period of exposure.
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