Amodiaquine-induced reproductive toxicity in adult male rats.

Amodiaquine (AQ) is routinely prescribed as an anti-malarial drug. Here, we evaluated AQ-induced toxicity in the male reproductive system. Eighty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups that received distilled water (control) or daily doses of 5 mg/kg body weight, 10 mg/kg, or 15 mg/kg AQ for 2 weeks. Testes morphology was analyzed using hematoxylin-and-eosin staining, terminal dUTP nicked-end labeling (TUNEL), and immunostaining whereas protein expression was determined by Western blotting. AQ dose-dependently led to abnormal spermatogenesis. Disruption of the blood-testis barrier and increased germ cell apoptosis were observed in all three AQ-treated groups. Interestingly, AQ-induced damage of spermatogenesis recovered over time, based on the survival of promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger (PLZF)-positive, undifferentiated spermatogonia. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone and testosterone, as well as testicular testosterone levels, were not significantly altered in AQ-treated groups compared with controls. Collectively, our study suggests that AQ exerts substantial acute side effects on the reproductive systems of adult male rats by inducing the apoptosis of differentiating spermatogenic cells and disruption of blood-testis barrier function.

[Influence of the reference values for semen analysis proposed in the 5th edition of WHO laboratory manual on the indication spectrum for intrauterine insemination].

OBJECTIVE: To study the influence of the reference values for semen analysis proposed in the 5th edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen on the indication spectrum for intrauterine insemination (IUI). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 111 cycles of IUI by the reference values for semen analysis in the 4th edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual (group A) and 84 cycles by the 5th edition (group B). We recorded and compared the percentages of various indications for IUI between the two groups. RESULTS: The complications for IUI in groups A and B were as follows: asthenospermia (87.4% [97/111] vs 55.9% [47/84], P < 0.05), oligospermia (0 vs 0), teratospermia (51.4% [57/111] vs 35.7% [30/84]) , abnormal liquefaction (0.9% [1/111] vs O) , sexual dysfunction and genital malformation (0 vs 3.6% [3/84] , immune infertility (0.9% [ 1/111] vs O), and unexplained infertility (3.6% [4/111] vs 2. 4% [2/84 ] ). There were no significant differences between the two groups in the percentages of all the indications except that of asthenospermia. CONCLUSION: The reference values for semen analysis proposed in the 5th edition of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination and Processing of Human Semen have an evident influence on the indication spectrum for IUI by largely reducing the cases of IUI for male factors, prolonging the cycles of some patients, causing excessive diagnosis and treatment for females, and increasing their mental and economic burdens.