Effects of Vanadium Pentoxide on the Histological and Sperm Parameters of Male Guinea Pigs

The pharmacological effects of intraperitoneal administration of different doses of vanadium pentoxide (V₂O₅) on the histological and sperm parameters of male guinea pigs were investigated. Also investigated were the effects of oral pretreatment with different doses of vitamin E (a known protein kinase C inhibitor) on the V₂O₅ -induced responses of the testis and liver of male guinea pigs. In n = 5 experiments, vanadium pentoxide in the dose range of 4.5-12.5mg/kg caused destruction of the testicular and liver architecture. This was characterized by a reduction in spermatogonia, destruction of seminiferous tubules, necrosis of the testicular tissues, necrosis of liver cells, fatty cells infiltration and vacoulation. Oral administration/ pretreatment with vitamin E in the dose range of 500-2000I.U caused a reversal of the vanadium pentoxide –induced histological damages of the testis and the liver cells. Furthermore, in n = 5 animals experiments, Vanadium pentoxide (4.5-12.5 mg/kg/) caused a statistically significant increase in the percentage basal cell death, from 5.0 to 75.0 ± 1.0%, reduction in sperm motility from 90.0 to 31.0 ± 3.9%, reduction in sperm count from 80.0 x10⁶cells/ml to 25.0± 4.0 x 10⁶cells/ml and alteration in the spermatic cell morphology ( i.e. causing a change in the cellular structure of sperm cells and an increase in abnormal cells count) of the male guinea pigs. These inhibitory effects were significant at P < 0.05 (ANOVA). These effects were all dose- and time-dependent and may have a role in oxidative pathology of vanadium pentoxide.