Effect of colchicine on the histology of spleen and testis of albino rats

ABSTRACT

The aim of this work is to study the effect of colchicine administration on the histology of spleen and testis of albino rat. Colchicine was given in a daily dose of 3mg/kg body weight for five days. Animals were sacrificed at 1, 4 and 7 days following treatment. Histopathological studies of the spleen and testis were undertaken. Histological examination of spleen showed that colchicine caused histopathological changes in spleen manifested by massive haemorrhage, highly expanded red pulps accompanied by reduced white pulps with multi small degenerated areas, disturbed architecture, degenerated areas were occupied by the hemorrhagic areas, prominent haemosiderin deposition, increased number of megakaryocytes in red pulp and subcapsular edema. These histopathological changes depend on the duration of colchicine intake. Histological examination of the testis one, four and seven days post treatment with colchicine showed dilatation and congestion of interstitial blood vessels, moderate degeneration of spermatogoneal cells, debris of spermatozoa could be detected in the lumen of the seminiferous tubules. The testis also suffered from interstitial edema with signs of fatty degeneration and degeneration of spermatogoneal cells lining some seminferous tubules. Complete destruction with hypocellularity in the spermatogenic layers in some seminiferous tubules and others contained only the debris of germ cells and disturbed nuclei of spermatogoneal cells with appearance of giant cells with highly reduced number of Leydig cells which contained pyknotic nuclei were also noticed in some examined sections. These results indicate that colchicine is considered as a toxic drug to the spleen and testis at double therapeutic doses as indicated by the histological changes