Lack of Toxicity of Enflurane on Male Reproductive Organs in Mice

Abstract

Enflurane has been shown to increase slightly the percentage of abnormal spermatozoa in mice. To examine in more detail possible adverse effects of enflurane on male reproductive organs, 125 Swiss/ICR mice were exposed to 0.3% enflurane for up to 18 months; a control group of 125 mice was exposed concurrently to air. Exposures were for 4 hours/day, 5 days/week. After 12 months of exposure, groups of 25 enflurane-treated and control mice were killed, and chromosomal analysis of spermatogonial cells was performed. After 18 months exposure, remaining mice were killed and epididymal sperm were collected for morphologic examination. In addition, the reproductive organs of all mice dying or killed throughout the study were examined histologically. Approximately 1% of spermatogonial cells from both enflurane-treated and control mice had aberrant chromosomes. The average percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm was 9.4 +/- 1.7 for enflurane-treated mice and 6.5 +/- 1.3 for control mice; the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.18). Finally, there was no difference between the treated and control mice in histologic appearance of reproductive organs. It was concluded that long-term exposure to enflurane has no adverse effects on male reproductive organs in mice.