Dose-Dependent Testicular Injury and Recovery after Total-Body Irradiation in Rhesus Monkeys

Testicular injury is a well-documented acute effect of radiation exposure, though little is known about recovery years after irradiation, especially at higher doses. We examined the testes from 143 irradiated and control male rhesus monkeys, who were part of the Radiation Late Effects Cohort over a four-year period. Irradiated animals were exposed to doses ranging from 3.5 to 8.5 Gy of total-body irradiation. The testes were assessed using computed tomography (CT) volumetry, serum testosterone, and histology for deceased members of the cohort. Irradiated animals exhibited dose-dependent testicular atrophy as well as decreased serum testosterone during the winter breeding season when compared to age-matched unirradiated controls. No significant difference in summer testosterone levels was observed. Volumetric and histologic evidence of testicular recovery was present approximately three years postirradiation for animals who received ≤8 Gy. The study demonstrates dose-dependent testicular injury after total-body irradiation and provides evidence for volumetric and spermatogonial recovery even at lethal doses of total-body irradiation in rhesus monkeys.