HISTOLOGY OF THE LESIONS PRODUCED IN THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT OF ANIMALS FED A DIET DEFICIENT IN VITAMIN A ALCOHOL BUT CONTAINING VITAMIN A ACID. I. THE MALE RAT

Abstract

Male rats maintained on a diet in which the vitamin A alcohol was replaced by vitamin A acid developed lesions in the reproductive tract. The testicular changes were a sloughing of the cells of the germinal epithelium followed by an obliteration of the lumen of the tubule by Sertoli cells. Testicular regeneration was produced by the administration of vitamin A alcohol. The lesions are comparable to those of vitamin A deficiency. The present paper also describes for the first time lesions in the testes of healthy growing prepubertal rats fed the vitamin A acid diet.