Me. Traina et al., TESTICULAR CREATINE AND URINARY CREATINE-CREATININE PROFILES IN MICE AFTER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE REPRODUCTIVE TOXICANT METHOXYACETIC ACID, Biomarkers, 2(2), 1997, pp. 103-110
It was previously observed that the acute or subchronic administration
of some testicular toxicants, caused a significant raise in urinary c
reatine in rats. The aim of this study was to verify whether creatinur
ia could be detected in mice (a species with a different excretion pro
file of creatine) and whether it could be correlated to the levels of
creatine in testis and to other parameters of testicular toxicity. The
well known testicular toxicant methoxyacetic acid (MAA) was orally ad
ministered as a single dose (400 or 600 mg kg(-1)) to male adult mice
B6C3F1, Twenty-four hours after dosing, urinary creatine and creatinin
e showed a significant reduction with respect to the pre-treatment val
ues. At the following times post-dosing (48 and 72 h) the creatine exc
eeded the control and pre-treatment values, while creatinine had not y
et recovered, The ratio creatine/creatinine was significantly higher t
han control and pre-treatment values, at 24 and 48 h after the treatme
nts, In testis a significant, dose-dependent, decrease of creatine was
observed 24 h after dosing, with a pattern related to the histopathol
ogic alterations observed at different times after the treatments, Cre
atine determination was the earlier quantitative parameter of testicul
ar toxicity, since at this time testis weights, sperm head number and
enzyme activities (LDH-C4, SDH) were less affected, their maximum decr
ease being reached at 14 days after the treatments, These data suggest
that in mice, 2-MAA could interfere with the metabolism of creatine,
both in testis and other biosynthetically active tissues.