ABSTRACT
The present study was designed to observe the changes in the testis of rats due to arsenic in higher doses. Distilled water and sodium arsenite were administrated intra-peritonealy to control and experimental groups respectively. Animals were sacrificed, their testis were weighed and cut into small pieces. After observing the plucking and stringing phenomenon of the seminiferous tubules the pieces of tests were embedded in paraffin and then 5micro m thick section were made. These sections were stained with PAS-sulfurous acid haematoxylin and examined microscopically for qualitative assessment of germinal epithelium. In the rats of experimental group mean weight and average tissue ratio of the paired testes was 1.140gm and 0.0037 respectively, which was significantly less than the control. There was decrease in diameter of seminiferous tubules, thickening of the basement membrane, early arrest of spermatogenesis, damaged leydig cells, prominent sertoli cells and collapsed blood vessels, showing generalized atrophy of the testes in experimental group. In arsenic toxicity there are atrophic changes in testis due to degenerative changes in spermatogenic and leydig cells