Lead intoxication causing loss of body weight and loss of absolute weight of testes in albino rats

ABSTRACT

Lead intoxication produces metallic taste, thirst, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, constipation, and which result in weight loss. The direct effect of lead on testes causes degeneration and necrosis of organ which leads to loss of absolute testicular weights. With loss of body weights also result loss of relative weights of organ as systemic consequences. Experimental study. Anatomy Department, Basic Sciences Medical Institution, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. Forty adult Albino Rats were selected for the study and divided into two groups. Group A served as control group and received injection normal saline 1 ml intraperitoneally daily for eight weeks. Group B was lead treated group and received lead chloride in a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight intraperitoneally daily for eight weeks. Animals were weighed at the commencement and at the completion of treatment. Absolute weights of testes were recorded after animals sacrificed. Relative weights of testes were also calculated. The results were compared with control and correlated with the previous studies[1,2,9]. Final body weight of animals was decreased significantly [P<0.001] in group B as compared to group A. Absolute Weight of testes was significantly decreased [P<0.001] in group B as compared to group A. Relative Weight of testes was significantly decreased [P<0.001] in group B as compared to group A. Lead toxicity is causing loss of body weight of animals. The direct effect of lead on testes produces degeneration and necrosis of testes result in absolute loss of weight of testes. The loss of generalized body weight results in loss of relative weight of organ