Effects of medroxy-progesterone administration on testicular interstitial tissue of adult albino rat

ABSTRACT

The present work was carried out to study the effect of a single hormone, progesterone, as a method of controlling fertility in male rats. Histological and ultrastructural changes in the testicular interstitial tissue were evaluated as a result of progesterone administration. A total number of thirty adult albino rats [4 months of age] were used in this work Animals were classified into three groups, control treated, and rehabilitated groups. The progesterone is now widely used as a method of contraception in females, and under trial for contraception in males. A dose of 150 mg of medroxy progesterone was given for each experimental animal as 5 mg/day intramuscularly for one month. The rats were scarified on day after period of administration, testis were weighed and then prepared for semi -thin and ultrastructural examinations. The results of this work revealed that the applied regimen showed histological changes in the form of shrinkage and degeneration of the interstitial tissue with empty spaces. The Leydig cells are also shrunken and degenerated Also peritubular myoid cells are shrunken with thin basement membrane. Blood vessels showed narrowing and thin walled Ultrastructurally, the leydig cells showed nuclear irregularity with disturbed chromatin distribution. Degenerated vacuoles and scanty cell organelles are also noticed. In rehabilitated animals some of these changes retained to the more or less normality with some healthy leydig cells and also, more or less normal interstitial vascularity could be seen. These Promising results after rehabilitation in addition to prolongation of period of recovery may retain more healthy interstitum and reversibility of these changes could be reached