Abstract
Cimetidine has been reported to cause antiandrogenic effects in male pups of female rats receiving cimetidine during gestation. Because of conflicting reports of cimetidine causing permanent antiandrogenic effects in male rats, we studied the sexual development of male rats born to females receiving cimetidine. Water or water and cimetidine (194 mg/kg of body weight per day) were administered to pregnant rats from day 12 of gestation through weaning. A total of 130 male pups were studied. Testicular prostate gland/seminal vesicle weights, anogenital distance, serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels, and seminiferous tubule areas were compared between the two groups. Transfer of cimetidine across the placenta and though breast milk was confirmed by HPLC analysis of serum from female littermates at 0, 10, and 20 days of age. With the exception of a smaller anogenital distance (p < 0.03) and a lower anogenital index (p < 0.05) in the cimetidine-exposed newborn rats, no statistically significant differences were observed in the measured parameters between the cimetidine-exposed and control groups. Cimetidine exposure during the fetal and perinatal periods did not alter the development of secondary sex characteristics in male rat pups.
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