J Korean Geriatr Psychiatry.  1998 May;2(1):64-72.

Effect of Alcohol on Testicular Histology

• Cheon JS
• Oh BH

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The aims of this study were to evaluate whether alcohol affects the testicular histology, to find out what kind of drugs can influence that changes, and to discuss the association between alcohol-induced testicular atrophy with aging process, understanding a mechanism underlying alcohol-induced sexual dysfunction.
METHODS
In experiment 1, 14% ethanol (V/V) was administered to five rats for 4 weeks, comparing the testicular histology stained with hematoxylin-eosin with those in five normal adult controls and those in five normal aged rats. In experiment 2, thirty ethanol-administered rats were treated with nimodipine, clonidine, bethacholine, bromocriptine, fluoxetine and ketamine (five rats respectively) for 4 weeks. The testicular histology of Leydig cells, seminiferous tubules, Sertoli cells and germ cells in the above drug-treated rats were compared by the same procedure.
RESULTS
1) Mean Leydig cell numbers more significantly reduced in ethanol-administered rats than those in normal adult controls (p<0.01). 2) Reduced Leydig cell numbers in the ethanol-administered rats became significantly raised by treatment with nimodipine (p<0.05) or clonidine (p<0.01). 3) There was no significant association between alcohol-induced testicular atrophy with an aging process.
CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest a hormonal factor and a pathophysiological process related with calcium or norepinephrine can be involved in a mechanism underlying alcohol-induced sexual dysfunction.

Keyword

Ethanol; Sexual dysfunction; Leydig cell; Calcium channel; Norepinephrine; Aging

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aging
Animals
Atrophy
Bromocriptine
Calcium
Calcium Channels
Cell Count
Clonidine
Ethanol
Fluoxetine
Germ Cells
Humans
Ketamine
Leydig Cells
Male
Nimodipine
Norepinephrine
Rats
Seminiferous Tubules
Sertoli Cells
Bromocriptine
Calcium
Calcium Channels
Clonidine
Ethanol
Fluoxetine
Ketamine
Nimodipine
Norepinephrine