Effects of Long Term o, p’-DDT Administration on Reproductive Parameters and Liver Histology in Adult Male Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica)

Abstract

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of low oral doses of o, p’-DDT on the reproductive parameters and liver histology in adult male Japanese quail over a long period (120 days). The quail were classified into two groups ; the first group (n=20) was orally given 20μg o, p’-DDT in 10μl corn oil daily for 120 days, while the second group (n=16) received only 10μl corn oil in a gelatin capsule and kept as a control. A number of quail, ranging between 4 to 7 birds, were killed at Days 30, 60, 90 and 120 of the experiment and the testicular weights of the control and treated males were recorded. In addition, the liver and testes of the control and treated males were also collected and fixed in 10% buffered formaldehyde for histological examination. Semen from each killed male was collected for evaluation of sperm concentration and motility. The gonado-somatic index, sperm concentration and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules were decreased in treated males when compared with the control ones at different periods of the experiment. On histological examination, lipid infiltration in the liver of some treated male quail was observed at Days 30, 60 and 90 of the experiment. At Day 120 of o, p’-DDT treatment, the liver was highly infiltrated with lipids and the hepatocytes showed intracytoplasmic vacuolation in comparison with the control bird that showed normal liver histology. In conclusion, administration of low doses of o, p’-DDT orally for a long period of time might affect the reproductive parameters and liver histology in adult male Japanese quail.

Keywords

• o, p’-ddt
• hepatocyte
• male japanese quail
• reproductive parameters