title: Decapeptyl ameliorates cyclophosphamide-induced reproductive toxicity in male Balb/C mice: histomorphometric, stereologic and hormonal evidences.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a reproductive key hormone. The GnRH analogues are widely used in in vitro fertilization and treatment of sex hormone-depended cancers induced by the materials used in chemotherapeutic agents.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of cyclophosphamide and decapeptyl (analogues of GnRH) on histomorphometry and stereology of testicular tissue as well as gonadotropic and gonadal hormones indices in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  For this study, 24 adult male Balb/C strain mice were divided in four groups; first, cyclophosphamide (65 mg/kg/body weight (BW)), second, decapeptyl (0.05 mg/kg/BW), third, decapeptyl at first, and after 10 days of cyclophosphamide injection, and control group was received same volume of sterile saline. In order to evaluate the tissue changes in testes of the mice, sections were prepared and stained with Hematoxylin-Eosine, Periodic Acid Schief's (PAS) and Oil-Red-O staining techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cyclophosphamide causes histomorphologic changes in the testicular tissue; whereas such changes by decapeptyl were comparatively mild. The morphometric results revealed significant reduction in diameters of seminiferous tubules (p=0.02), and the stereological results confirmed significant differences in spermatogenesis (SI) as well as rate of tubal differentiation (TDI) indices between experimental and control groups (p=0.001). In addition, the morphometric findings proved that, there are significant decrease (p=0.001) in thicknesses of epithelia and stereologic result revealed reduction in number of cell layers in both decapeptyl and chemotherapy groups, but the decrements of these parameters were significant (p=0.02) in later group. In groups that had received cyclophosphamide, and decapeptyl alone, the LH and testosterone levels were decreased significantly (p=0.03), whereas in those that had received decapeptyl along with cyclophosphamide, the LH and FSH levels showed a decline but the level of testosterone increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrated that, analogue of GnRH i.e., decapeptyl protect morphologic, morphometric, and stereologic alterations of the testes tissue, as well as gonadotropic and gonadal hormonal changes preceding cyclophosphamide treatment in male mice. This article extracted from M.Sc. thesis. (Afsaneh Niakani).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Afsaneh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Niakani
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Farah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farrokhi
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Veterinary Science, Fculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.
authors.forename: Shapour
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hasanzadeh
keywords: Cyclophosphamide; Decapeptyl; FSH; LH; Mice.; Testis; Testosterone