The effect of testicular x-irradiation on spermatogenesis in man. A comparison with the mouse
Abstract
Existing data concerning the effects of x-irradiation on spermatogenesis
in man were analyzed and the results were compared to published data on
the mouse. Testicular x-irradiation produced a transient, but substantial,
suppression of sperm counts in man, with an ED50 near 11 rad. The length
of time to recovery was proportional to the irradiation dose. The ED50 for
suppression of type A spermatogonia following radiation exposure in man
was similar (9.7 rad), although the response curves for spermatogonia and
sperm count were matogonia in the mouse was parallel to that found in man,
but with an ED 50 of 30.0 rad. These results suggest that, compared to the
mouse, spermatogenesis in man is approximately 3.1 times more sensitive to
ionizing irradiation.