Majallah-i Dānishgāh-i ̒Ulūm-i Pizishkī-i Bābul (Oct 2007)
THE EFFECT OF DIAZINON ON THE LEYDIG CELLS AND THE LEVEL OF SEX HORMONES IN MICE
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diazinon (DZN) is an organophosphate pesticide which widely used in agriculture. The exposure to this pesticide could be resulted in damages of the living tissues. The present study was done to investigate the effects of diazinon on the leydig cells of testis and levels of sex hormones in the mice.METHODS: In this experimental study, 35 male mice divided into three groups. Control (no injection), Sham (water injection) and DZN group (30mg/kg i.p, five consecutive days per week for one month). Animals were killed 7 days after the latest injection. Blood samples were collected and testosterone, LH and FSH levels were assayed by radioimmunoassay. Testis tissues sections were provided to investigate the changes of leydig cells. Then data were analyzed.FINDINGS: The DZN (6.295±0.361) showed a significant decrease in the number of leydig cells compared with control and sham groups (11.37±0.769 and 11.26±0.347, respectively) (p=0.001) and subsequently decreased serum testosterone level in DZN group (3.68± 0.91) compared with control and sham groups (15.2±1.21 and 15.12±0.84, respectively) (p=0.001) but increased the levels of LH and FSH compared with control and sham groups.CONCLUSION: According to the results, it could be suggested that the DZN can exert a significant toxic effects on testis of mice. On the other hand, hormonal variations following DZN administration may be responsible for changes in infertility pattern in mice.
