The effect of vasectomy on Sertoli cell function in rats. 
In order to evaluate Sertoli cell function after vasectomy, we studied a group of 24 rats.  Twelve animals underwent bilateral vasectomy and 12 control animals underwent a sham operation.  At 3 and 8 weeks postvasectomy, six experimental and six control animals were sacrificed.  Forty-eight hours before sacrifice, the efferent ducts of the testes of each animal were ligated to produce intratesticular androgen-binding protein (ABP) accumulation.  Quantification of ABP was determined using a steady-state polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis system and a 2 nM 3H-dihydrotestosterone label.  The ABP of the vasectomized and control animals was expressed as both picomoles per milligram of protein and picomoles per organ and was found to be 0.28 +/- 0.06 and 0.42 +/- 0.09 for the control and vasectomized animals at 3 weeks and 0.46 +/- 0.07 and 0.52 +/- 0.08 for similar groups at 8 weeks.  Comparison of these values revealed no statistical significance.  Vasectomy, therefore, had no demonstrable effect on Sertoli cell function in the rat and our findings support the concept that ligation of the vas does not result in long-term biochemical testicular damage in the experimental animal.