Ultrastructure of the sertoli and leydig cells in the testes of normal versus protein-calorie malnourished rats

The morphology of the gonads was examined at the ultrastructural level in 20 to 55 day-old male rats that were protein-calorie malnourished and the results compared to animals fed a standard laboratory diet. The conditions of undernutrition led to a reduction in the growth of the seminiferous tubules. By day 55, the tubules had only developed to a size corresponding to that found in a normal animal less than 30 days of age. A similar retardation was noted in the maturation of the Sertoli and Leydig cells, although the effect of undernutrition on their morphology was evident at an earlier age in the latter cell type. These findings support our previous studies in which it was reported that dietary deficiencies in proteins and calories lead to a prolongation in the time necessary for sexual maturation to occur in male rats.