| Objective: To study the effects of hyperglycemia on the volumes ofdifferent structures in rat seminal vesicles after intraperitoneal injection ofSTZ.Methods:11-12weeks old male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided intoa control group (n=12) and an STZ group (n=45), which received oneintraperitoneal injection of buffer and STZ (60mg/kg bodyweight),respectively.30days later the seminal vesicles were removed. Afterimmersion fixation in Bouin’s fluid, methacrylate resin embedded sectionswere prepared for histological observation with light microscopy; andmorphometric study was performed to obtain the total volumes of differentstructures in the organ using stereological methods.Results: After injection of STZ,11rats (STZ-N group) had normal bloodglucose levels,9(STZ-H group) had blood glucose levels higher than normal(>16.7mmol/l) and25died. Compared with the control group, the volumes ofseminal vesicles (including coagulating glands attached to them) did notsignificantly change in the STZ-N group [(399±34) mm3vs (416±32) mm3,P>0.05], and the total volumes of different structures in the seminal vesicleswere unchanged, either. The seminal in1animal in the STZ-H group wasessentially normal; that in the other animals, however, had organ volumesdecreased (compared with control) by77%[(399±34) mm3vs (93±14) mm3,P <0.05], with volumes of the glandular lumen and epithelium beingsignificantly reduced by97%and73%(seminal vesicles) and90%and72% (coagulating gland), volumes of the smooth muscular layer reduced by38%(seminal vesicles) and33%(coagulating gland), and volumes of all theadventitia reduced by35%.Conclusion: STZ-induced short-term hyperglycemia resulted in markedatrophy of the glandular lumen, epithelium, smooth muscle layer andadventitia, especially the glandular lumen and epithelium. |
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