The Effect of Experimental Varicocele on Fertility in Adolescent Rats

Ha, Tae Joon; Choi, Hwang

Abstract

Varicocele is considered as one of common etiology for subfertility in men and recently it is acknowledged that varicocele first developed in puberty exert more severe damage to testicular structure than that in adulthood, but its ultimate effect on the fertility is not well known. We used animal model to compare the effect of varicocele on the fertility and histology in the adolescent with that in adulthood. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated to create varicocele at 7 weeks and 12 weeks of age by partial ligation of left renal vein. After 4 weeks of sexual maturation period passed, each male rat was mated with two female rats for 21days and then scarified to examine the testicular volume loss and histologic change. All female rats were also sacrificed for the evaluation of pregnancy rate, litter side and fetal weight. Pregnancy rate in adolescent rats were 47.1% and there was significant difference in fertility between control rats and rats with varicocele. Interestingly the impregnating ability of adolescent rats was correlated with the mean diameter of seminiferous tubules of both testicles. ipsilateral testicular volume loss and histologic changes were more severe in adolescent rats than in adult rate. In summary, varicocele created in adolescent Sprague-Dawley rats is considered to be implicated. in their adulthood fertility, probably due to its more severe damage to testicular volume and histologic change(especially tubular narrowing) than in adult rats.