[Adverse effects of exposure to p-nonylphenol on reproductive system of young male rats].

OBJECTIVE

To study the adverse effects of exposure to p-nonylphenol (NP) during gestation and lactation on the reproductive system of young male rats.

METHODS

Pregnant rats were administrated with p-nonylphenol, at doses of 0, 50, 100 [symbol: see text] 200 mg/kg of body weight, respectively, by gavage from the first day of gestation to the day of weaning, i.e., the 21st day after birth. The young male rats were killed at the age of 70 days and some indices related to their reproductive system (i.e., weight of the gonad, sperm counts of the epididymis, histology of the testes, et al.) were analyzed.

RESULT: Weights of the testes and prostate gland decreased with the increase doses of exposed NP, their weights of the testes of 2.86, 2.98, 2.59 and 2.44 g, and those of the prostrate gland of 0.26, 0.23, 0.20 and 0.19 g, respectively. The same trend existed in daily production of sperm in the testes and sperm counts of the epididymis, with 22.46, 18.46, 17.43 and 17.26 x 10(6) sperm per gram of the testis, with sperm counts of 46.85, 39.74, 35.57 and 31.36 x 10(6) per gram of the epididymis tail. Separation of prepuce occurred on the 47.83th days and 46.31th days in the rats exposed to 200 mg/kg of NP and in the control group, respectively.

CONCLUSION

NP could decrease their ability of spermatogenesis in the rats without morphological changes of spermatogenic cells of the testes and epididymis.