乙醇的雄性生殖毒性

40只健康雄性成年SD大鼠随机分为4组,各组每日分别灌胃给予乙醇0、2.7、4.5、7.5g/kg,连续13周。测定各组大鼠血清睾酮(T)、促黄体生成素(LH)、促卵泡刺激素(FSH)含量,光、电镜观察睾丸组织的形态学改变,同时测定睾丸线粒体中丙二醛(MDA)的含量。结果显示各乙醇组动物血清T水平较对照组明显降低(P<0.01),血清LH、FSH含量亦明显降低(P<0.05)。睾丸的组织病理学观察显示染毒动物睾丸生精细胞核固缩、变性,曲细精管腔中脱落细胞增多;超微结构显示睾丸生精上皮结构破坏,支持细胞和各级生精细胞均有退化变性,且损伤程度与乙醇剂量明显相关。乙醇4.5、7.5g/kg组动物睾丸线粒体MDA含量明显高于对照组(P<0.05)。说明乙醇既可以直接作用于睾丸,引起生精细胞损伤和睾丸类固醇合成抑制,还可使下丘脑垂体轴生殖内分泌功能受损。脂质过氧化可能是乙醇致睾丸损伤的机制之一。

Effects of alcohol on reproductive system of male rats

Forty healthy Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups with varied doses of alcohol(0 g/kg,2.7 g/kg,4.5 g/kg and 7.5 g/kg)administrated for 13 weeks by gastric tubes.Serum sexual hormones testosterone(T),luteinizing hormones(LH)and follicle stimulating hormones(FSH)were determined.Patholgical changes of tesits tissue of the rats were simultaneously observed by light microscopy and electron microscopy.Malondialdehyde(MDA)content of testis mitochondria was determined as well.Result showed that Serum T level in all alcohol-treated groups wes significantly lower than that in control group(P<0.01).Serum levels of LH and FSH in alcohol-treated rats were also significantly lower than those in controls(P<0.05).Light microscopic evaluation of the testis of the rats treated with alcohol revealed their germ cell nuclear pyknosis and degeneration,and increased exfoliated cells in tubular lumina.Electron microscopic analysis showed that seminiferous epithelium of alcohol-treated rats was disorganized and Sertoli cells and germ cells at all stages were degenerated,in a dose-dependent pattern.Content of MDA in the testis mitochondria of the rats treated with 4.5 g/kg and 7.5 g/kg was significantly higher than that in the controls(P<0.01).It is (suggested) that alcohol is a known testis toxin which can directly act on the testis causing damage to germ cells and inhibition of synthesis of steroids,as well as dysfuncation of hypothalamic-pituitary axis in gonadotropin release.Lipid peroxidation may be a putative mechanism that contributes,at least in part,to the testis damage associated with chronic alcohol abuse.