ABSTRACT
Gentamicin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic, widely used for treating many gram negative bacterial infections. Though nephrotoxicity is the most highlighted side effect, it has also been found to cause an alteration in the phosphatase activities of testes and accessory sex organs and a decline in the sperm count. This study was designed to assess the effects of gentamicin on testicular steroidogenesis and to ascertain whether such alterations are reversible. Laboratory inbred adult, male, 'Wistar' strain rats were chosen as the experimental animal. A significant dose-dependant reduction in the activities of the two steroidogenic enzymes, accompanied with a significant decrease in ascorbic acid and elevation of level of cholesterol was observed. The effects were maximum at a dose of 100 mg/kg, b.wt. After 15 days of withdrawal of the drug therapy the biochemical parameters namely ascorbic acid and cholesterol returned to normal levels whereas the activities of the two dehydrogenases showed a compensatory increase. This indicates that gentamicin affects the steroidogenic enzymes, causing an alteration in the formation of testosterone, which was manifested in the elevated cholesterol in the adult rat testes. However, these alterations were reversible.