Effects of chemotherapeutic agents for testicular cancer on male rat reproductive organs and spermatozoal numbers, motility, and morphology

Testicular cancer (TC) is the most common cancer affecting men of reproductive age; however treatment with bleomycin, etoposide, and cis-platin (BEP) results in extremely high cure rates. The post-treatment quality of life of TC patients is therefore a major concern. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of BEP on sperm count, motility, and morphology in an animal model. Male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with BEP for 9 weeks. Rats were killed, and the numbers, motility, and morphology of the spermatozoa from the epididymides were analyzed. After BEP treatment, sperm counts decreased by almost 10-fold when compared to control (11.9x107 versus 1.65x107 sperm per epididymis). The percent of spermatozoa that were motile was > 30% lower in the treated group compared to control group. Morphological defects increased significantly in both the midpiece and principal piece of the flagella. These results indicate that BEP treatment has significant effects on spermatogenesis in the rat model