SPERMATOGENESIS FOLLOWING DISCONTINUATION OF CALCIUM CHANNEL BLOCKER AMLODIPINE IN RATS
Abstract
Background: The calcium channel blockers are commonly associated with male infertility. Long termadministration of such drugs has been shown to suppress spermatogenesis. The present study wasdesigned to determine the effects of cessation of calcium channel blocker (amlodipine) medication onspermatogenesis. Methods: The study was carried out in the Department of Physiology, incollaboration with Department of Pathology, Army Medical College, and National Institute of Health,Islamabad from April 2007 to March 2008. Thirty male rats were divided into two groups A and B eachcontaining 15 rats. Group A rats were given distilled water (vehicle) whereas group B rats were givenamlodipine by oral gavage for 50 days. After 50 days, amlodipine/distilled water was withdrawn. Therats were left for recovery to take place for another 50 days of drug withdrawal period. Testes wereremoved in all the rats and sectioned. The sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin andexamined microscopically. Results were analyzed using SPSS version 13. Results: Fifty days afterdrug withdrawal, there were statistically insignificant differences in mean tubular diameter and heightof germinal epithelium between amlodipine treated and vehicle treated groups. Conclusion:Spermatogenesis in amlodipine treated rats does not differ significantly from spermatogenesis invehicle treated rats after 50 days of drug withdrawal period.Keywords: Calcium channel blocker, CCB, amlodipine, male contraception, testicular histology,spermatogenesis, Dihydropyridine, DHPReferences
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