Light and electron microscopic evidence of tri- o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP)-mediated testicular toxicity in Fischer 344 rats

The onset and development of testicular lesions following tri- o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP) dosing have been documented through light and electron microscopic morphological studies. Male Fischer 344 rats (190–210 g body weight) were administered 150 mg TOCP/kg/day in corn oil for 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days. Vehicle-treated rats served as the control group. Sections of formaldehyde- and glutaraldehyde-fixed, methacrylate-embedded testes showed, by Day 5, numerous spermatid heads apparently detached from tails lying at oblique angles near the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubules. Columnar and spherically shaped vacuoles of the epithelium, radiating from the basement membrane to the lumen of the tubules, were also observed. Electron micrographs revealed that these were localized in Sertoli cells. Widespread dilation of Sertoli cell smooth endoplasmic reticulum was also noted. By 7 days of treatment, residual body abnormalities were noted in stage VIII tubules, along with spermatocyte-derived multinucleated giant cells. The lesion progressed with increased vacuolation of the epithelium and numbers of abnormal residual bodies and giant cells, together with spermatid karyorrhexis (Days 10, 14, and 21). There was also an apparent decrease in sperm density/tubule with continued exposure; 90% of the seminiferous tubules were devoid of sperm by Day 14. These morphological results indicate an initial effect of TOCP on Sertoli cells. Spermatogenesis is affected as seen by the decrease in sperm density and increase in necrotic spermatids.