title: Dietary intake of high-dose biotin inhibits spermatogenesis in young rats.
abstract: To characterize a new function of the water-soluble vitamin, biotin, in reproduction and early growth in mammals, the effects of high dietary doses of biotin on early spermatogenesis were biochemically and histologically investigated in male rats. Weaned rats were fed a CE-2 (control) diet containing 0.00004% biotin, or a control diet supplemented with 0.01%, 0.1%, or 1.0% biotin. Pair-fed rats were fed a control diet that was equal in calories to the amount ingested by the 1.0% biotin group, because food intake was decreased in the 1.0% biotin group. Food intake and body weight gain were lower in the 1.0% biotin group than in the control group. The kidney, brain and testis weights were significantly lower in the 1.0% biotin group than in the pair-fed group after 6 weeks of feeding. The accumulation of biotin in the liver and testis increased in a dose-dependent manner. In the 1.0% biotin group, the number of mature sperm was markedly lower, that of sperm with morphologically abnormal heads, mainly consisting of round heads, had increased. In addition, the development of seminiferous tubules was inhibited, and few spermatogonia and no spermatocytes were histologically observed. These results demonstrated that the long-term intake of high-dose biotin inhibited spermatogenesis in young male rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Nutrition, School of Human Science and Environment, University of Hyogo, Himeji, Japan; Reserch Institute for Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Hyogo, Himeji, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawamura
authors.forename: Chieko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Ryoko
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Yui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshii
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D001710:Biotin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008297:Male; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D001710:Biotin
keywords: biotin; dietary intake; high-dose; rat; spermatogenesis