Histological Study of The Effect of Administration of Exogenous Glucocorticoids on the Testis of Albino Rats

Abstract

Glucocorticoids are prescribed by many physicians to treat inflammatory conditions that affect the different body organs as lungs, skin, joints, digestive tract and eyes. Common diseases that frequently require treatment with glucocorticoids include bronchial asthma, inflammatory bowel syndrome and some types of arthritis. Cortisol is the principal circulating glucocorticoids in human and is secreted under the control of the hypothalmo-pituitary-adrenal axis. Dexamethazone is a synthetic pregnane corticosteroid and derivative of cortisol (hydrocortisone). It was first made in 1957 and is used in the treatment of many conditions, including rheumatic problems, a number of skin diseases, severe allergies, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, croup in children, brain and spinal cord surgery. Also cortisol has frequently been indicated as a major factor mediating the suppressive effect of stress on reproductive system problems because the stress interferes with the function of the brain-pituitary-gonad (BPG) axis so prolonged elevated cortisol levels, implicated in stress adaptation, inhibit pubertal development in the male gonads. The aim of the work is to study the histological changes that may occur in the albino rat testis after administration of dexamethasone and to investigate the possibility of recovery of testis after drug stoppage. Thirty prepubertal male albino rats were used in this study and divided into three equal groups. Group I (control), group II (dexamethasone-treated for 2 weeks) and Group III (recovery group) it manage as group II, then left untreated for further 2 weeks for studying the possibility of testicular recovery. At the time of animal sacrifice, the testes of all groups were dissected out, processed and stained with H&E. and toluidine blue stains then examined by light microscope. Histological examination of the sections of the testes of the dexamethasone treated group showed that the seminiferous tubules attained different shapes and had lost the normal distribution of their epithelial lining with the appearance of several layers of dark type spermatogonia that were ensheathed by the irregular basement membrane. The lumina of the affected tubules contained exfoliated germ cells. Also some germ cells showed apoptosis with small peripheral nuclei. Leydig cells appeared with peripherally located nuclei. Histological examination of the sections of the testes of the dexamethasone recovery group had manifested still distorted seminiferous tubules with no absolute return to its normal histological structure. So in clinical practice, therapeutic doses and periods of administration of dexamethasone must be carefully adjusted especially in younger ages.