Abstract

Sixty-four forty-day old male Wistar rats were divided randomly into two groups of thirty-two each. With one group untreated as controls, the other group was administered 150 mg NaF/L (68 ppm F–) in their drinking water to assess the effects of high fluoride on sperm quality and testicular histology at different developmental stages. In contrast to the control group, the F-treated rats exhibited a decline in sperm viability and a significant increase of sperm abnormalities 50, 80, 100, and 120 days after administration of sodium fluoride. Sperm density declined markedly at day 80 and day 120. The number of seminiferous epithelium cell layers (NSECL), the thickness of the seminiferous tubule (TST), and the diameter of the seminiferous tubule (DST) in the testis all decreased at day 50, 100, and 120. In short, the semen quality was impaired by fluoride in the drinking water, and the histological changes in the seminiferous epithelium of testicular tissues may be responsible for the diminished sperm quality in male rats.

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