Age-related changes in rat testicular oxidative stress parameters by hexachlorocyclohexane

Effect of repeated oral administration of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH; 10 an d 20 mg/kg body weight per day for 7, 15 and 30 days) on antioxidant defenc e system and lipid peroxidation (LPX) in the testis was compared between im mature (15-day-old) and mature (90-day-old) rats. In both age-groups of rat s, the pesticide elicited a significant decrease in the activities of cytos olic superoxide dismutase (SOD; total and CN--resistant) and catalase, and ascorbic acid content together with an increase in the levels of LPX (both in crude homogenate and subcellular fractions) and H2O2 Testicular glutathi one peroxidase (GPx; total and non-selenium-dependent) activity was enhance d in both the age-groups of rats while the testicular glutathione content a s well as glutathione reductase activity remained unaltered. HCH treatment resulted in a decrease of total epididymal sperm number with a higher incid ence of dead and damaged spermatozoa, and sperms having anomalous head. Sta tistical analyses suggest that the alterations in the testicular antioxidan t defence profile in the rat are not only dependent on the duration of pest icide treatment, but also influenced by age.