Effect of sodium valporate [SVP] on male gonads and fertility

To study the effect of SVP on both premature and mature male gonads and on male fertility via valid animal models. The study included control "non-medicated" [15 premature and 15 mature] male rats and medicated [15 premature and 15 mature] male rats on effective dose of SVP [200 mg/kg/day] via oral administration for one month and two months. Five rats of each group were sacrificed after one month of treatment together with their controls. Another five of each were sacrificed after two months. The remaining five rats in each group "premature and mature" survived for another one month without SVP intake and then sacrificed. Mating was allowed by pairing between each male rat and a female rat with normal esterous cycle for 10 days and this repeated 3 times in each group. The testes of each sacrificed male rat were dissected out, weighed and examined macroscopically. Epididymal spermatozoal examination [progressive motility of sperms, sperm cell concentration, sperm apnormalities and living sperms] and histopathological examination of testes were done. Sodium valporate reduces fertility% of male rats and this reduction increased with the duration of treatment. The weights of testes [in both premature and mature] were significantly reduced in medicated groups. The epididymal sperm characters were markedly altered in medicated mature rats while azospermia was encountered in medicated prematures and prematures recovered from treatment for one month. Also the degenerative changes of the testes were more marked in prematures. There was reversibility of these effects on stoppage of SVP. Sodium valporate reduces male fertility and induces degenerative changes in male gonads especially in premature on longer duration of treatment and these pathological effects are reversible on its stoppage