The effects of carbamazepine on sperm morphology in wistar rats.
Carbamazepine (5 H-dibenz (b, f) azepine-5-carboxamide), is an antiepileptic drug which is expected to be administered regularly over a substantial part of patients lifetime. As the gender focus in epilepsy the later years has primarily been on women, there certainly is a lack of studies focused on the effects particular to men. The present study was aimed to investigate its effects on germ cell's by employing the sperm morphology assay. Twelve groups of male wistar rats were treated with sterile water 0.5 ml, cyclophosphamide (CP) 20 mg/kg, carbamazepine 9, 18, 36 mg/kg (i.p) and 2% gumacasia 0.25 ml/100 g respectively for 5 consecutive days at intervals of 24 hrs. Following the last exposure, on days 14 and 35 sperm morphology assay was conducted as per the standard procedure. Mann-Whitney 'U' test was used for statistical analysis and the level of significance was P<0.01. Neither carbamazepine nor cyclophosphamide induced formation of abnormally shaped sperms at 14 day time interval. Whereas on day 35, with 18 mg/kg dose level of carbamazepine there was an increase in the number of sperms with heads defects (P<0.01); Whereas in the other two dose levels the number of abnormally shaped sperms had decreased. 2% gumacasia increased the number of sperms with tail defects at day 35. (Mann-Whitney 'U' test).


CONCLUSIONS
Carbamazepine and 2% gumacasia could be germ cell mutagens and could cause infertility on prolonged use therefore further studies with serum drug level estimations are needed.
Shetty
Akhila Jagadish
AJ
Department of Pharmacology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore. shettyakhila@yahoo.com
Narayana
K
K
D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004822:Epididymis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006170:Gum Arabic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013076:Sperm Count; D013077:Sperm Head / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D013082:Sperm Tail / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D002220:Carbamazepine; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D006170:Gum Arabic