EFFECT OF NICOTINE ON SPERMATOGENESIS IN ADULT ALBINO RAT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University

Abstract

Spermatogenesis is affected by many factors including smoking, as it causes fall in primary spermatocyte number, retardation of conversion of spermatocytes to spermatids in rats, as well as several morphologic abnormalities
of sperms such as bicephalia (Kulikauskas et aI., 1985). Experimental evidence from humans and rodents suggested that nicotine, the most characteristic component of tobacco, could alter the hypothalamic-hypo-physeal axis through its stimulation of growth hormone, cortisol, vasopressin and oxytocin release which in turn inhibits the release of luteinizing
hormone and prolactin (Weisberg, 1985).

Keywords