Wistar male rats received an intratesticular injection (at 114 and 265 days of age) of 3 mg of partially purified bull seminal ribonuclease (AS RNase) or saline. It was found that sexual behaviour (initiation of copulation as well as copulatory behavioural pattern) of experimental males was not changed, but the ability of these males to fertilize females was evidently suppressed. In addition to significantly lower weights of testes and epididymis, inhibition of seminiferous epithelium development (aspermatogenesis) associated with the absence of spermatozoa was determined in cauda epididymidis in experimental animals. However, Leydig cells remained without changes. Plasma testosterone levels of AS RNase treated males were not altered in comparison with the controls. Thus AS RNase specifically impaired spermatogenesis but did not influence androgen action and sexual behaviour.

Ribonucleases endowed with specific toxicity for spermatogenic layers