Correlation between fennel- or anise-oil administration and damage to the testis of adult rats

Abstract

Tradition in Egypt indicates that anise oil damages testicular development in boys. This study compares the effect of fennel oil and anise oil on the histopathology and immunology of the testes of young adult rats. Sections from testicular tissue of rats treated with fennel oil showed no histopathological changes relative to control animals in all testicular cell types. On the other hand, anise-oil-treated rats showed several histopathological changes (inhibition in Sertoli cell numbers, necrotic spermatocyte cells, etc), Sertoli cells with marked changes in the boundaries of the nuclear membrane and cytoplasmic vacuoles of various sizes, spermatids with acrosomal vesicles and different pieces of spermatozoa with obvious lesions and distorted arrangements of microtubules, vacuoles around their heads and acrosomes, Leydig cells distorted nuclear membranes, distribution of heterochromatin in the inner surface and small lipid droplets in the
cytoplasm. Anise oil administration also inhibited inhibin and GST expression, besides decreasing testosterone, T3 and T4 hormones and inhibiting sperm counts and sperm motility.

Keywords: Inhibin, GST

Egyptian Journal of Biology Vol. 10 2008: pp. 62-76