The effect of drugs used in the treatment of hemoblastosis on the morphofunctional state of spermatozoa

Abstract

Introduction. The relevance of the study is due to the high frequency of complications after the use of drugs for treating malignant tumors, which is associated with the cytotoxic effect of chemotherapy drugs both on malignancy sites and on healthy tissues, including the cells of male gonads.Aim. To study the impact of drugs intended for the treatment of hemoblastoses on the total sperm count, their mobility, and the presence of pathological forms under experimental conditions.Materials and methods. A case-control study was conducted on 18 male rats aged 90 days. The control group consisted of male rats that did not receive hemoblastosis treatment drugs, and the second group was intraperitoneally injected with cyclophosphamide, hydroxydaunorubicin, vincristine, prednisolone (hereinafter referred to as CHOP). Mature spermatozoa were obtained from the dissected appendages of the testes, by opening them on a thermal stage. The contents of the rat's seminiferous tubules, in a volume of 0.02 ml, were diluted in 0.4 ml of 0.9% sodium chloride solution, preheated to 37°C. The total, absolute, and relative number of spermatozoa in a unit volume (0.4 ml) of epididymal suspension was counted, taking into account their mobility according to the generally accepted system. Actively mobile and weakly mobile were attributed to the fertile fraction, and "twitching" and immobile - to the infertile fraction of epididymal spermatozoa. Then, the fertility index was calculated, which represents the ratio of the number of fertile forms to infertile ones. To determine the viability of spermatozoa, their count with regard to mobility was conducted within the first hour every 15 minutes, and subsequently every 30 minutes until the complete cessation of all spermatozoa. To assess the pathological forms of spermatozoa, the absolute and percentage content of spermatozoa in a unit volume (0.4 ml) of epididymal suspension with defects in the head, neck, midpiece, and tail was counted under light microscopy.Results. The experimental exposure to CHOP group drugs had the following effects: a decrease in the total number of spermatozoa by 37% was observed in the male rats of the experimental group, accompanied by an increase in the number of their pathological forms by 26% compared to the control group.Conclusion. The increased risk of infertility, caused by the toxic effect of drugs intended for the treatment of hemoblastoses, is associated with a decrease in the total number of spermatozoa and an increase in pathological forms, leading to a reduction in the number of mobile cells.