Effect of antifertility agents on steroidogenesis of the albino rat testes

Abstract

A comparative study of the effects of antifertility agents on steroidogenesis of testes were undertaken in the present study. Healthy adult male wistar strain albino rats were selected for the present investigation and they were administered by subcutaneous injections of antifertility agents like gossypol, 5-thio-D-glucose, estradiol-17B and prostaglandin F2α for 7 days. The total cholesterol content and the activity levels of 3β-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenase and 17β-hydroxy steroid dehydrogenases were estimated. Impaired spermatogenesis was witnessed by the accumulation of cholesterol content in the testes and by decreasing the level of steroidogenesis in the treated rat testis.