A Technique for Perfusion of Rat Testes in Situ Through the Internal Spermatic Arteries

For studying the action of hormones on the testis, perfusion techniques have certain advantages (Eik-Nes & Hall, 1965), such as minimal peripheral conversion or dilution of a labelled compound before it reaches the testes. Techniques for the perfusion of rabbit testes (VanDemark & Ewing, 1963) and the testes of sheep and goats have been described. Unlike the rat testis (see Christensen & Mason, 1965; Cooke, de Jong, van der Molen & Rommerts, 1972; Rommerts, van Doorn, Galjaard, Cooke & van der Molen, 1973), however, the rabbit, sheep and goat testes have the disadvantage that after the perfusion, they cannot be dissected into seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissue. This paper describes a technique for the perfusion of rat testes in situ and the evidence derived by