Collaborative work to evaluate toxicity on male reproductive organs by repeated dose studies in rats 9). Testicular toxicity in male rats given adriamycin for two or four weeks.

The present study was performed to determine whether testicular toxicity can be detected of the administration of adriamycin (ADR), an anticancer drug, for 2 weeks. ADR was intravenously administered to Slc:SD male rats at 1 mg/kg once a week for 4 or 2 weeks, and 2 mg/kg once a week for 2 weeks. Suppression of body weight gain was observed in the 1 mg/kg/week (4w) and 2 mg/kg/week (2w) groups. The testes weights in these groups were also lower than those of the control group. On histological examination, a decrease in spermatogonia was observed in the 1 mg/kg/week (4w) and 2 mg/kg/week (2w)groups. No abnormalities were detected in the control and 1 mg/kg/week (2w) groups. Stage analysis of seminiferous tubules was performed for control and 1 mg/kg/week (2w) groups. In the 1 mg/kg/week (2w) group, the numbers of spermatogonia in stages II-III, V and XII-XIII were significantly decreased. The numbers of preleptotene spermatocytes in stage VII and zygotene spermatocytes in XII-XIII were also significantly reduced in the same group. These findings suggest that the testicular toxicity of ADR can be detected after 2 weeks administration at a sufficient high dosage, if simplified morphometrical analysis is used.