Histological changes in rabbits’ testicles after silymarin treatment

Abstract

This research was designed to study the effect of silymarin dosage on the histological structure of the testicle in rabbits and the impact it has on the level of sperm production in these animals. Thirty adult male rabbits were used to complete this work. Their ages ranged between 5 to 6 months, while their weight ranged between 1,500 to 1,700 grams. The animals were divided into three groups based on the amount of dose of silymarin given as follows (C- 10 rabbits given free diet served as a control group: T1-10 rabbits treated with an oral daily dose of 0.5 ml per kg B.W. T2-10 rabbits treated with orally daily dose 1 ml per kg B.W.). The various types of cells were identified in this study based on several criteria, the most important of which are the external appearance of these cells during the series of divisions, the size of the cell, and the shape of the nucleus. The results showed an improvement in the architecture of seminiferous tubule epithelium, the disappearance of vacuolar degenerations in more than 95% of this epithelium, and an increase in the number of mature sperm in the center of each tubule in addition to increasing all parameters of Leydig cells. In conclusion, the testicles in rabbits exposed to silymarin are positively affected, leading to improved sperm production.

Keywords

• leydig cells
• testicle
• silymarin
• seminiferous tubules
• sperm count