Cigarette smoke alters testicular and epididymal histology in adult Wistar rats

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoking is a major public health problem. Different disease conditions have been linked to smoking as a risk factor, including infertility, with most studies focusing on semen quality. 
AIM: The current study aimed at determining the effects of cigarette smoking on the histology of both the testes and epididymis in animal models. 
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen adult male Wistar rats were grouped into four groups: Control Group A and 3 treated Groups B, C, and D, exposed to 1, 2, and 3 sticks of cigarette, respectively. Smoking chambers, made of cylindrical containers, were constructed indigenously and used for the exposure procedure. Each stick was suspended within the chamber and allowed to completely burn for about 10 min. Cigarette exposure was carried out for 28 consecutive days. Both the testes and caudal epididymis were examined histologically. 
RESULTS: There was distortion of the testicular and epididymal architecture and varying degrees of structural degeneration, especially in the group exposed to the highest concentration of cigarette smoke; spermatogenic cells appeared to decrease in population and there was a reduction in the density of mature spermatozoa in the lumen of the epididymis and seminiferous tubules. 
CONCLUSION: The architectural changes in the testes and epididymis explain the reasons for low or poor semen quality in subjects exposed to cigarette smoke, and possible impaired reproduction.