Photoperiodic influence on the innervation of the ductus epididymidis and ductus deferens of Phodopus sungorus--light microscopic studies.

The influence of long (LD 16:8) and short (LD 8:16) photoperiods on the autonomic innervation of the ductus epididymidis and ductus deferens of Phodopus sungorus was studied using the glyoxylic acid-induced catecholamine fluorescence and acetylcholinesterase (ACHE) histochemical methods. ACHE-positive nerve fibres could be demonstrated in the smooth muscle layer along the whole sperm transporting duct, in the lamina propria and within the epithelium of the ductus deferens. The extent and intensity of enzymatic reaction did not change between LD 16:8 and LD 8:16 conditions. An adrenergic nerve plexus was found in the smooth muscle layer of the sperm transporting duct. Especially in the ductus deferens, the intensity of fluorescence and the number of adrenergic nerves decreased in animals kept at short photoperiods. The influence of androgens on the sympathetic innervation of the ductus epididymidis and ductus deferens was discussed.