Effects of continuous intravenous infusion of diethylstilbestrol into pregnant mice on fetus: testicular morphology at fetal and postnatal period.
Diethylstilbestrol was continuously infused into pregnant mice through the tail vein. In male fetus exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) from days 15 to 19 of gestation, Leydig cells of the testis were found to be increased in number when examined at 3-60 days of age. Mitotic rate in the interstitial tissue was elevated in 0- to 3-day-old mice exposed prenatally to DES. The ratio of the intertubular space to testis size was greater at 3 days of age than at 1 day in prenatally DES-exposed mice, while in the controls, the rate was lower at 3 days than at 1 day. Spermatogenic activity was lower in DES-exposed adult mice than in the controls, as shown by the spermatogenic index.
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