THE EFFECT OF ESTRADIOL VALERATE ON THE M ALE REPRODUCTIVE-ORGANS ANDDIFFERENT SEMEN PARAMETERS OF RATS

The effect of the administration of estradiol valerate on the male rep roductive organs, on their histological structure, and several semen p arameters of Wistar rats was studied. In experiment A and B 140 mu g e stradiol valerate/kg b.w. were administered once a week for 4 weeks to 14 weeks old rats by s.c. injection. One week after the 4th injection the rats of experiment A were sacrificed, while the rats of experimen t B lived 5 weeks without treatment for recovery. In both experiments, supression of body weight, food consumption, decreases in absolute an d relative weights of testes, epididymides, prostate and semen vesicle s were observed along with testis, epididymis, seminal vesicle and pro state atrophy. The absolute and relative weights of adrenals and pitui tary revealed a tendency for increase in both treated groups. The hist opathological examination of the testes revealed degeneration of sperm atozytes in experiment A, and degeneration of spermatozytes, spermatid es, spermatozoa, Sertoli and Leydig cells in experiment B. In experime nt A the motility, and number of sperms was significantly decreased, t he sperm abnormalities were significantly increased. In experiment B t he motility of sperms was slightly, the number significantly decreased and the abnormalities slightly increased.