Effects of lead toxicity on serum testosterone and lh levels in adult male rats

ABSTRACT

To find out lead toxicity affects all levels of reproductive axis including both testosterone and Luteinizing Hormone production in adult male rats. An experimental study on animals The study was carried out at Islamic International Medical College, Rawalpindi from January 2010toNovember2010. Thirty adult male Sprawgue Dawley rats, purchased from NIH, Islamabad were divided into two groups A and B each containing 15 rats. Group A served as normal control receiving plain tap water. Group B received 0.3% lead acetate in drinking water. Five rats from each group were sacrificed at the end of 2nd, 4th and 6th weeks. Serum testosterone and LH levels were analyzed using ELISA technique. Results were analyzed using SPSS version 13. Serum testosterone level was significantly decreased in lead treated group as compared to control group whereas LH levels showed no significant change. Lead toxicity in male rats suppressed serum testosterone levels at all duration whereas LH levels at all durations manifested no significant change. This might be a result of direct testicular toxicity acting at testicular enzyme level alone or involving the hypothalamic-pituitary axis as well