Effects of ethanol on testis: A histopathological study in adult rats

Chronic alcohol consumption leads to many dysfunctions in the reproductive system. The pathological changes in the testis is depends on the level and duration of alcohol consumption. The purpose of the present study was to find out the histopathological changes in the testis in chronic ethanol exposure. Adult rats were divided into control (C) and ethanol treated (E) groups eight animal each. The rats in group E were exposed to ethanol 1gm/kg body weight for three months after due approval from the institutional animal ethics committee. After the exposure period, testes were processed for light microscopic examination. Ethanol treated rats showed loss of normal distribution of spermatogenic cells in the seminiferous tubules and few fragmented sperms in the lumen. Most of the tubules showed that the germ layers were detached from the basal lamina. It has been suggested that ethanol induced the degeneration of spermatogenic cells in the testis.