Assessment of the effects of parenteral quinine on testicular histology and sperm parameters in wistar rats

Abstract

Twenty-four week duration experiment was conducted with twenty-one male Wistar rats (200 - 250 g) to investigate the effects of quinine on the testis. The rats were divided into three groups- the control, saline and the quinine each comprised of seven rats. The control group and others were fed on feed mash (Growers) and water ad libitum. The saline group had physiological saline intramuscularly. The quinine group had intramuscular 20 mg/kg body weight of quinine daily (5 days/week), for eight weeks. The effects of quinine treatment caused reduced total and motile sperm count, significantly different (p<0.05) from control, but sperm motility was unaffected. The sections on quinine treatment showed seminiferous tubules with vacuolated lumens, disrupted seminiferous epithelium, arrested spermatogenesis, and moderate spermatozoa in epididymis. Quinine in this study caused morphorgical changes in the testis and significant reduction (p<0.05) in epididymal total and motile sperm count, but no detectable effects on sperm motility.