Ultrastructure of the Interstitial Tissue in the Testis of the
Egyptian Dromedary Camel (Camelus dromedarius)
M. I. Abd-Elaziz, A. M. Kassem, D. M. Zaghloul*, A. E. Derbalah and M.
H. Bolefa
Histology and Cytology department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Alexandria University, Egypt
*Corresponding author: dodomz@hotmail.com
Abstract
The ultrastructural examination of the testicular
interstitial tissue of Egyptian dromedary camel was performed to observe the
seasonal changes. The activity of the interstitial tissue cells increased
largely in spring. This was indicated by the large number of mature Leydig cells
and two to three layers of myofibroblasts around the basal laminae of the
seminiferous tubules with large blood vessels in the interstitial tissue. The
testicular activity was moderate in winter as indicated by the lower number of
immature Leydig cells. The lowest activity was in summer when Leydig cells
became inactive with pyknotic nuclei. The cells of interstitial tissue lost
their junctions with each other leaving a large intercellular spaces and
myofibroblasts transformed to fibrocytes. The testicular activity began again to
increase in autumn. The testicular activity of camel, however, did not stopped
in any season of the year, because even in non-breeding seasons a part of the
interstitial tissue of the testis was working and active.