The initial segment of the rat epididymis is able to uptake immature germ cells shed by testicular damage

The initial segment of the caput epididymidis, the most proximal part of the rat epididymis, has specific functional characteristics. In the present study, the behavior of the epididymal epithelium from this region was evaluated after the exposure to a massive number of immature germ cells in the luminal fluid. The experimental release of immature germ cells from the seminiferous tubules was performed by injecting anti-microtubule compounds into the rete testis and the lumen of seminiferous tubules. Twenty-four hours after nocodazole or colchicine administration, a massive phagocytosis of immature spermatogenic cells, recognized as acrosin-positive structures, was easily observed in the epithelium of the initial segment of the epididymis assessed by light and electron microscopy. Immature germ cells were engulfed by epithelial cells, where most of them were found as cell debris at different stages of degradation. No signs of inflammation were observed either in the lumen or in the interstitium. The phagocytosis of immature germ cells was restricted to the epithelium of the initial segment of the epididymis, suggesting a role for this segment as the first selective barrier for the exclusion of abnormal gametes along the male genital tract.