Preventive effects of methylcobalamin on the testicular damage induced by ethylene oxide.

In this study, the effects of methylcobalamin on testicular damage induced by ethylene oxide (EtO) were studied. When Wistar male rats inhaled EtO at 500 ppm, 6 h a day, 3 days a week, for 6 weeks, testicular damage was observed histopathologically and by some other parameters. Subcutaneous injection of methylcobalamin at 500 micrograms/kg, 5 times/week was found to ameliorate the damage. However, the degree of the methylcobalamin effect differed among the parameters examined in this study. Decrease in testicular weight due to EtO exposure was completely prevented by methylcobalamin, and decrease in testicular mature spermatid count and LDH-X activity was fairly well prevented. The degree of prevention of alteration in the epididymis, such as epididymal weight, epididymal sperm count and sperm abnormality rate, was significant but not complete. EtO caused apparent alterations in glutathione metabolism in the testes, but methylcobalamin did not affect such alterations induced by EtO. From these results, it has been determined that methylcobalamin has definite preventive effects on testicular toxicity of EtO.