Histomorphological and histomorphometric changes in the testes of male Wistar rats following prepubertal exposure to caffeine

This experiment was designed to study the effects of caffeine on the histomorphology of the testes of prepubertal male Wistar rats. Prepubertal Wistar rats (50 – 60 g) were randomly divided into three treatment groups (B, C and D) and control (A) of ten rats each. Group A rats received distilled water while Groups B, C, and D rats were respectively given daily dose of 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 200 mg/kg of caffeine dissolved in distilled water for 14 days by gavage. Five rats from each group were sacrificed 24 hours after the last caffeine administration while the remaining rats were monitored for another 21 days for them to attain sexual maturity. The rats were sacrificed under diethyl ether anesthesia and the testes were fixed by immersion in Bouin’s fluid. The tissues were processed for histomorphological and histomorphometric assessment. Data obtained were analyzed using one way ANOVA followed by Dunnett post hoc test for comparison with control. Alpha level was set at 0.05. Results showed that treatment with caffeine caused a significant decrease in testicular weight and a marked cellular degeneration and depletion of germ cells in the testes of rats in group D. The height of the germinal epithelium was significantly reduced when compared with control. This study concluded that prepubertal exposure of Wistar rats to caffeine reduced testicular growth and deleteriously alters testicular morphology.

Key Words: Caffeine, Testes, Germinal epithelium, Histomorphology, Histomorphometry, Prepubertal Wistar rats.