EXPERIMENTAL ACETIC ACID-INDUCED COLITIS IMPAIRS FERTILITY INDICES THROUGH DISRUPTED HORMONAL FEEDBACK IN MALE RATS

Serah Funke Ige*, Mayowa Jeremiah Adeniyi, Jelili A. Badmus and Suliyat Aremu

ABSTRACT

Although, men with ulcerative colitis demonstrate more infertility tendency than their healthy counterparts, the mechanisms through which colitis impairs fertility are not well understood. Therefore, the study investigated whether colitis associated impairments in fertility indices are characterized by intact or disrupted hormonal feedback. 12 male rats aged 53 days were randomly divided into control and colitic groups. Colitis was induced through intrarectal instillation of 1ml/200g of 7% acetic acid 5 times at an interval of 7 days. 72 hours after the fifth induction, colitic rats were characterized by increases in colonic thickness, colonic weight and rectal temperature. When compared with control group, colitic group exhibited a significant decrease (P<0.05) in sperm count, sperm motility, sperm morphology, testicular weight and percentage body weight change. Colitis significantly disrupted pituitary Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) secretion but had no effect on luteinizing hormone. There was also a reduction in steroidogenic capacity of testes evidenced by significant decrease (P<0.05) in serum testosterone. The findings of this study indicated that colitis decreased fertility indices in male rats through disrupted hormonal feedback.

Keywords: Infertility, Follicle Stimulating Hormone, Luteinizing Hormone, Colitis, Sperm count.