Effects of maternal anti H-Y antibodies on fetal gonadal development

C57BL/6 inbred female mice preimmunized by serial injections of isogeneic male spleen cells were mated and the effects of the circulating anti H-Y antibodies on the fetal gonads and on their fertility were studied. Female mice receiving injections of saline formed one control group and those given female spleen cells a second control group. The experiment was carried out three times and since observations were similar and reproducible the data of all three sets were pooled. There was no significant change in the birth weights of newborns, total number of conceptions or sex ratio in the study group compared to either of the controls. There was no difference in the mean live birth rate between the study group and both the controls. Although the incidence of stillbirths in the study group was higher than that in both controls the difference was not statistically significant. In the study group there were no histopathological changes in the gonads from female pups compared to ovaries from the controls. In contrast, the gonads of male pups showed mild to severe structural disorganization in the study group, but not in the female spleen cell injected group. In spite of the morphological changes in the testes, the newborn male pups had a normal anogenital distance and testicular descent suggesting that Leydig cell function was normal.