Effects of cyclophosphamide on testicular lipids with very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFA)

ORESTI GM; ZANETTI SR; AVELDAÑO MI

Iguazú, Argentina

Congreso; XL Reunión Anual de la SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INVESTIGACIÓN BIOQUÍMICA Y BIOLOGÍA MOLECULAR (SAIB); 2004

SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE INVESTIGACIÓN BIOQUÍMICA Y BIOLOGÍA MOLECULAR (SAIB)

Treatment with cyclophosphamide (CP), a drug commonly used as anticancer and also as an inmunosupressive agent, may result in oligozoospermia or azoospermia, associated with germ cell apoptosis. The objetive of this study was to determine the effects of CP administration on rat testicular lipids containing VLCPUFA. These were studied at various intervals after a single i.p. dose of the drug. A decrease in number of cells was seen in the germinal epithelium at days 5 and 15 after treatment in part of tubules, followed by a partial recovery in most of them after 30 days. The content of testicular ceramide (Cer) showed a significant increase, reaching a peak the 5th day, and then decreased to levels slightly smaller than the initial ones. The fatty acids of the increased Cer were mostly saturates and monoenes, especially 16:0 and 18:1. The molecular species containing VLCPUFA of Cer only tended to be reduced from the beginning to the end of the interval studied. A moderate but significant increase in the amount of other VLCPUFA-containing lipids, such as cholesterol esters was observed in the 15-30 day interval. The results suggest that a single dose of CP damage germ cells and increased Cer, the surviving cells being able to resume spermatogenesis. CP-induced lipid changes may be  intensified by the administration of repeated doses of the drug.