Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the protective effects of taurine against histomorphological and ultrastructural changes in the testes of Swiss albino mice caused by acute in vivo exposure to AlCl3. Light microscopy revealed that a single intraperitoneal (i.p.) dose of AlCl3 (25 mg kg(-1) Al3+) was associated with sloughing, tubular atrophy, germ-cell degeneration, and foci of Leydig cell hyperplasia. In addition, transmission electron microscopy showed a destruction of inter-Sertoli cell tight junctions, apoptotic cell death of spermatogonia and primary spermatocytes, various types of abnormalities in spermatid morphology, accumulation of lipid droplets, reduction of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (sER), and mitochondrial damage in Leydig cells. Taurine post-treatment at i.p. dose of 1 g kg(-1) diminished these changes and significantly reduced the number of affected tubules compared to Al-poisoned mice. This is the first study to evidence that taurine protects against pathological changes in the testicular tissue of Al-treated mice.