title: Effects of dietary selenium on differentiation, morphology and functions of spermatozoa of the house rat, Rattus rattus L.
abstract: Ingestion of 2 ppm and 4 ppm selenium in the diet by the house rat, Rattus rattus, for 5 weeks caused a dose-dependent reduction in its body weight, testicular and cauda epididymidis weights, concentration, motility and percentage of live spermatozoa with a simultaneous increase in the percentage of their abnormal forms. Compared to 1.39% abnormal spermatozoa in cauda epididymidis in untreated control rats, 3.89% and 24.64% abnormal spermatozoa were observed in rats with 2 ppm and 4 ppm dietary selenium respectively. Ingestion of 4 ppm selenium had no significant effect on abnormalities of the head and neck regions but abnormalities of the midpiece region and multiple abnormalities increased significantly. Analysis of the various stages of differentiation of spermatids in the testis has revealed that with 4 ppm dietary selenium, the abnormalities are induced mainly in the midpiece region of the flagellum which is a site of energy production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaur
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Parshad
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D004032:Diet; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004822:Epididymis / Q000166:cytology; D008297:Male; D009115:Muridae; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D012643:Selenium / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013737:Testis
chemical_list: D012643:Selenium