Seasonal changes in the anatomy of testis of one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius)

Present study was conducted during 4 seasons of the year, to record seasonal morphological and ultrastructural changes in the testis of one-humped camels. Studies were conducted on slaughter house material collected from 24 healthy mature camels (6 samples during each season of the year) as well as on 12 biopsy samples of testicular tissue of mature male camels (6 in each breeding and non-breeding season) kept under traditional management conditions for the study period. Tissues were processed using standard histological procedures for light and transmission electron microscopic studies using paraffn and spur embedding tissue techniques. Morphometrical studies showed that the volume, weight of the testis, average diameter of sertoli cells, volume of intertubular compartment, relative volume of leydig cells, total volume of leydig cells, numbers of leydig cells ×10⁹ per testis and % intertubular tissue in the parenchyma of testis, were signifcantly (P<0.01) higher during the winter and spring seasons. However, percentage area occupied by the seminiferous tubules, seminiferous tubule per cent/interstitium, the volume occupied by the seminiferous tubules and diameter of seminiferous tubules were found to be statistically signifcantly (P<0.01) higher during summer and autumn. Ultrastructural studies showed highly active leydig and sertoli cells during breeding season (cytoplasm was having abundant and well developed smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER), more oval to elongate mitochondria and few fat droplets) and the opposite was true during non-breeding season.