Objective: To investigate degeneration and restoration patterns of spermatogenesis in relation to the changes in Leydig cells (LCs) after treatment with ethane dimethanesulfonate (EDS).
Materials and methods: Adult Wistar male rats were treated with EDS at a dose 75 mg/kg body weight and the testes were sampled at 7, 14, 21, 35 and 49 days after treatment for histological and ultrastructural studies.
Results: During the first two weeks after treatment stage dependent loss of germ cells was found within seminiferous tubules that led to a profound disturbance of spermatogenesis. The restoration of seminiferous epithelium followed also in stage specific manner and in relation to development of a new LC population (third week). The development of new LCs after EDS treatment repeats the normal dynamics of postnatal LC development within a similar time range.
Conclusion: EDS treatment of rats causes a temporary germ cell degeneration in the testis. The kinetics of disappearance of germ cells and their regeneration broadly follows the changes in LC population.