Figure 1
Photomicrographs of the testes of control and experimental animal groups stained with HE. A and B, control group with normal tunica albuginea (TA) and seminiferous tubules having basal laminae (BL), Sertoli cells (SC), spermatogonia (SG), primary spermatocytes (PS), rounded (RS) and elongated (ES) spermatids and spermatozoa (SZ), as well as interstitial tissues (IT) with Leydig cells (LC). C and D, sham group with intact testicular architecture. E-H, taxol (TXL)-treated rats with thickened tunica albuginea (TA) surrounding deteriorated tubules having ruptured basal laminae (BL), distorted SC, and apoptotic germinal cells; SG, PS, RS, and ES with residual cytoplasmic remnants (green asterisks), as well as vacuolation (V), sloughed germ cells (S), and multinucleated giant cells (MNG). Also, destructed interstitial tissues (IT) with pyknotic LC and congested blood vessels (BV) are displayed. I and J, melatonin (MLT)-treated rats with normal TA enclosing tubules having regular SC, SG, PS, RS, and ES, besides the IT with LC. K and L, regular testicular architecture of TA, seminiferous tubules with germinal epithelia and IT in MLT+TXL-treated rats. A, C, E, F, I, K: scale bar 0.2 mm. B, D, G, H, J, L: scale bar 0.05 mm.
Figure 2
Photomicrographs of testicular tissues of control and experimental animal groups stained for Bcl-2 immunoreactivity. A and B, control group; C and D, sham group; E and F, taxol (TXL)-treated group; G and H, melatonin (MLT)-treated group; I and J, MLT+TXL-treated group. There was no staining on the negative control sample (K). SC: Sertoli cells; SG: spermatogonia; PS: primary spermatocytes; RS: rounded spermatids; ES: elongated spermatids; LC: Leydig cells; IT: interstitium. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.
Figure 3
Photomicrographs of testicular tissues of control and experimental animal groups stained for P53 immunoreactivity. A and B, control group; C and D, sham group; E and F, taxol (TXL)-treated group; G and H, melatonin (MLT)-treated group; I and J, MLT+TXL-treated rats. There was no staining on the negative control sample (K). SC: Sertoli cells; SG: spermatogonia; PS: primary spermatocytes; RS: rounded spermatids; ES: elongated spermatids; LC: Leydig cells; IT: interstitium. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.
Figure 4
Photomicrographs of testicular tissues of control and experimental animal groups stained for Cas3 immunoreactivity. A and B, control group; C and D, sham group; E and F, taxol (TXL)-treated group; G and H, melatonin (MLT)-treated group; I and J, MLT+TXL-treated group. There was no staining on the negative control sample (K). SC: Sertoli cells; SG: spermatogonia; PS: primary spermatocytes; RS: rounded spermatids; ES: elongated spermatids; LC: Leydig cells; IT: interstitium. Scale bar: 0.05 mm.
Figure 5
Electron micrographs of the testes of control and sham groups showing (A) spermatogonia resting upon a thin basal lamina (BL) and possess nuclei (N), mitochondria (M), lysosomes (Ly), rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER), and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sER); (B) primary spermatocyte with N, M, Ly, sER, and rER; (C) rounded spermatid with vacuolated M, Golgi apparatus (GA), Ly, rER, and sER, as well as acrosomal granule (AG) and acrosomal cap (AC), which cover the nucleus; (D) elongated spermatid showing N covered with AC forming the acrosomal head cap (AHC), the manchette (Ma), and the flagellum (Fl), with M and phagosomal bodies (PB); (E) Sertoli cell appeared with irregular N, enclosed within a nuclear envelope (NE) with a deep indentation (▸), and its cytoplasm containing M, Ly, lipid droplets (LD), free ribosomes (R), sER, and rER; (F) interstitial tissue revealing Leydig cells (LC) with numerous M, sER, rER, Ly, LD, and N. Scale bar 2 μm.
Figure 6
Electron micrographs of the testes of taxol (TXL)-treated rats showing (A) deteriorated spermatogonia resting upon thickened basal lamina (BL) and have few electron-dense mitochondria (M), cytoplasmic vacuoles (V), and marked dilatations of intercellular spaces (asterisks); (B) atrophied primary spermatocyte with karyorrhexed nucleus (N) separated from the cytoplasm leaving empty zones (asterisks), few electron-dense M, fragmented rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER), and dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sER), as well as widened intercellular spaces (IS); (C) degenerated rounded spermatids appeared with karyorrhexed N and cytoplasm with few M and large V; (D) atrophied elongated spermatids having distorted acrosomal head caps (AHC), electron-dense N, condensed acrosomes (AC), electron-dense small manchettes (Ma), and short flagella (Fl) with disarranged electron-dense M; (E) deformed Sertoli cell separated from the basal lamina (BL) and has irregular N with deep nuclear indentation (▸), electron-dense M, phagosomal bodies (PB) and V. Club-shaped spermatogonium (SG) is also markedly detected; (F) apoptotic Leydig cell revealing highly irregular and fragmented N and degenerated cytoplasm having lipid droplets (LD), electron-dense M, and fragmented rER. Scale bar 2 μm.
Figure 7
Electron micrographs of the testes of melatonin (MLT)-treated rats showing (A) intact spermatogonium resting on basal lamina (BL) having oval nucleus (N), mitochondria (M), and rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER); (B) primary spermatocyte with N and cytoplasmic organelles including M, rER, and smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sER); (C) fully-developed rounded spermatid with N, acrosomal granule (AG), Golgi apparatus (GA), vacuolated M, sER, and rER; (D) elongated spermatids displaying elongated N, acrosomal caps (AC), acrosomal head caps (AHC), manchettes (Ma), and flagella (Fl), with M. (E) Sertoli cell resting upon a thin basal lamina (BL) and has well developed M, sER, rER, GA, and N; (F) intact Leydig cell with N, rER, sER, M, and lysosomes (Ly). Scale bar 2 μm.
Figure 8
Electron micrographs of the testes of melatonin+taxol (MLT+TXL)-treated rats showing (A) nearly normal spermatogonium resting upon basal lamina (BL), and possesses oval nucleus (N), mitochondria (M), and rough endoplasmic reticulum (rER); (B) intact primary spermatocyte with N, M, rER, smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sER), and lysosomes (Ly); (C) regular rounded spermatid with intact N, acrosomal granule (AG), acrosomal cap (AC), Golgi apparatus (GA), vacuolated M, and rER; (D) nearly normal elongated spermatids with regular acrosomal head caps (AHC), N, AC, manchettes (Ma), flagella (Fl), and M; (E) well-developed Sertoli cell laying on a thin BL with N, rER, sER, M, free ribosomes (▸), and lipid droplets (LD); (F) interstitium with Leydig cells appeared with prominent N and cytoplasmic organelles including M, rER, sER, and Ly. Scale bar 2 μm.