Abstract:
The use of medications in the treatment of animals with antisperm antibodies (ASA) is questioned by conflicting information. The epididymal sperm extraction (ESE) rat model's broken blood epididymal barrier was the subject of investigation. Ten adult male Wister-Albino rats served as negative control, fifty rats were exposed to ESE and divided into five groups. The first group was untreated and considered as positive control. The remaining four groups were treated with dexamethasone (DEX), azathioprine (AZA), frankincense, and prepared secondary antibodies. Sperm counts, sperm viability %, ASA concentrations, testosterone assays, and histopathology of the testis and epididymis were performed. The results of the AZA and DEX-treated rats showed that at week 8, there was a significant decrease in ASA compared to the positive control group (P<0.01), whereas there was no significant difference between the testosterone concentrations, sperm count, or viability of the treated rats and the negative control group. Histologically, testis and epididymis displayed moderate degeneration and necrosis. There was a significantly lower ASA and index (%) than in the positive control group at weeks 6 and 8 following treatment with frankincense and secondary antibodies (P<0.01). The testosterone levels, however, recovered to normal levels since they were identical to those of the negative control and lower than those of the positive control (P<0.05). Histologically, the testis and epididymis clarified normal appearance. Conclusion, the findings support the idea that immune responses and acute inflammatory alterations in the testis are triggered by paracrine and immunological processes. Future research on comprehensive hormone profiling or analyses of the hypothalamo-hypophysial- gonadal axis following this operation would be of interest.