Effect of vasectomy on testis and epididymis in adult male Swiss albino mice: Histological and histometric study

Objective: To study the short- and long-term effects of vasectomy on the testis and epididymis in adult male Swiss albino mice. Methods: Healthy adult male Swiss albino mice were divided into three groups, viz., control group (n=6), sham control group (n=6) and vasectomized experimental group (n=12). Vasectomy was performed on the mice in the vasectomized experimental group, and the sham-operated control group were made to undergo a surgical procedure but not vasectomy. Half of the animals in the vasectomized experimental group were sacrificed on the 20th day, and the remaining mice were sacrificed on the 70th day after vasectomy. The testis and epididymis were collected and preserved in Bouin’s fluid. The control and sham control animals were sacrificed on the 70th day of the experiment, and the testis and epididymis were collected and fixed using Bouin’s fluid over 24 hours. Qualitative evaluations of testicular sections were supplemented by the semi-quantitative testicular biopsy score count (TBSC) and histometric assessments (volume of parenchyma and stroma, surface area of lining epithelium, diameter of seminiferous tubules and ductus epididymis, height of epithelium) of various tissue components. Stained sections were subjected to stereological procedures using a microscope. Results: Vasectomy did not affect the weight of the testis and epididymis, but it significantly reduced the tissue component of the seminiferous tubules in short-term vasectomized mice. The same was observed in normal and long-term vasectomized mice. A reduction in diameter of the seminiferous tubules and ductus epithelium was observed in short-term vasectomized mice, whereas long-term vasectomized mice showed a significant increase in cauda of the epithelium of the ductus. Only long-term vasectomized mice showed a significant decrease in epithelial height compared with control and sham control animals. Conclusion: The reduction in spermatogenesis observed in short-term vasectomized mice could be due to fluid pressure acting back on the testis, and it is purely a temporary phenomenon. This effect was reversed, and renewal of spermatogenesis occurred in long-term vasectomized mice.