On Changes of fine Structures of the Sertoli Cells in the Human Male Sterility

Cho, Sung Royoung

Abstract

Electron microscopic observation of fine structural changes of Sertoli cells in the male sterility patients was made on 10 histologically proved cases. They were histologically classified to 3 groups by Nelson's classification, hypospermatogenesis, spermatogenic arrest and germinal cell aplasia. The results obtained were summarized as follows. l) The findings of ultrastructures of Sertoli cells in the normal man showed no significant differences with other author's results. 2) The ultrastructures of Sertoli cells in the male sterility revealed degenerative changes, characterized by fragmentation and dilatation of subsurface cisternae, swelling and vacuolization of mitochondria with decrease in the number of cristae and poor development of Golgi apparatus. And also observed were proliferative changes, characterized by increase in the number of sER, rER and ribosome. These morphological changes were severer in spermatogenic arrest and the severest in germinal cell aplasia. 3) The results were suggested that the most significant ultrastructural changes of Sertoli cells of male sterility were the degenerative changes of the organelles of protein synthesis and protein transport system such as rER, ribosome and Golgi apparatus.