Slow increase of Sertoli cell efficiency and daily sperm production causes delayed establishment of full sexual maturity in the rodent Chinchilla lanigera

Puberty in the male Andean rodent Chinchilla lanigera occurred ∼3 mo after birth, whereas full sexual maturity was established much later. The objective of the present study was to investigate testis function in postpubertal chinchillas, with an emphasis on the estimation of seminiferous epithelium cycle length (n = 6) and Sertoli cell (SC) and spermatogenic efficiencies (n = 26). Samples of testes were collected between May and November. Each spermatogenic cycle lasted 10.2 d and the total duration of spermatogenesis was ∼46 d. The SC efficiency (spermatids/SC) and the daily sperm production per testis gram increased markedly (P < 0.05) from 5 to 17–22 mo of age, whereas the conversion rates of type A1 spermatogonia to preleptone and the number of spermatids per pachytene remained stable (P > 0.05) from 5 to 30 mo. Therefore, efficiency of the spermatogenic process increased equally during all phases of spermatogenesis. In conclusion, based on the gradual and striking postpubertal increases for SC and sperm production, we inferred that more undifferentiated spermatogonia and/or spermatogonial stem cells were produced and therefore, that the chinchilla might represent a good experimental model to investigate regulation of this crucial aspect of spermatogenesis.