The effect of DDT on spermatogenesis of the juvenile rat

Juvenile male rats of Wistar/Han strain were fed DDT suspended in olive oil. They received either 500 mg/kg at the 4th and 5th or 300 mg/kg daily at the 4th till 23rd day of life. After certain interval the testes were examined histologically, and at the 60th and 90th day of life fertility was proved. The spermatogenetic cells showed an increase of the physiological degeneration in the course of spermatogenesis and a decrease of their total number. The number of Leydig cells was diminished. In parallel, the litters of normal female rats mated to treated males were smaller than those of controls. The hypothesis is suggested that the damage of the seminiferous epithelium can be explained by a lack of local testosterone.