The Effect of Lead Acetate on the Testes of Male Albino Rats

Lead is the oldest environmental contaminant which is a known abortifacient and spermicidal agent in case of high exposure. The present study was designed to observe the changes in the testes of male albino rat due to excessive and indiscriminate exposure to lead. Lead acetate dissolved in 5 ml of distilled water were administered orally to male albino rat at 0, 25, 50, 75  and 100 mg/Kg body weight of rat in groups A – E, respectively for 28 days with group A rats serving as control. The animals were sacrificed at the beginning and the end of the experiment and testes excised and weighed. Standard histopathological processing, sectioning and mounting of the tissues were done. The histopathological changes that occurred in the testes were mainly; tissue architecture degeneration, necrosis, vacuolization, maturing spermatogenic cells in seminiferous tubules, thickened basement membrane, myoepithelial cell and scanty leydig cells and were dose-dependent. The body weight of the lead exposed rats significantly (p<0.05) decreased when compared with the control rats. The average organ ratio of the paired testes of the lead exposed rats decreased significantly (p<0.05) with increase in dosages when compared to the control. The testicular sperm count also decreased with increase in dosages throughout the exposure period. Keyword: Lead toxicity, Albino rats, Testes, Sperm count, Seminiferous tubules