Effects of High Voltage Cathode Rays upon Germinal Epithelium of the Rat.

The study investigated the effects of high voltage cathode rays on the spermiogenic epithelium of male adult white rats, revealing significant damage to the seminiferous tubules after exposure. Rats exposed to cathode rays at voltages of 200,000 and 250,000 volts showed lesions in the seminiferous tubules, with pyknosis, fragmentation, and karyolysis of nuclei, and reduced mitosis in spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and spermatids. Sertoli cells were less affected, and interstitial cells showed minimal changes. The study highlighted the greater sensitivity of germinal epithelium to radiation, with alterations in the Golgi apparatus of germinal cells also noted.