Effects of dimethyl sulfoxide intratesticular injection on structure of seminiferous tubule: A model for the study of testicular dopaminergic function in the rat

We study the effects of an intratesticular injection (ITIn) of infiltrating agent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) on seminiferous tubule structure in adult rats. Experimental groups of 32 rats received a ITIn with 50µL of pure DMSO inside each testicle; the sham group were formed with 32 rats subjected to surgical technique but not received ITIn; to test the DMSO effectiveness like infiltrating agent, other rats group received the ITIn with 50µg of haloperidol (dopaminergic antagonist) dissolved in DMSO. All the rats were sacrificed at 4-, 8-, 12- or 16-day post ITIn. Compared with sham groups, DMSO doesn’t alter the structure of seminiferous epithelium in no evaluated days, but the haloperidol ITIn showed progressive alterations on structure of seminiferous tubule from the 8th to the 16th day. Our results allow recommending the use of DMSO as an infiltrating agent in subsequent studies of dopaminergic testicular function.