Effect of Vanadium Sulfate on The Histological Structure of The Testes in The White Rabbit (Oryctolagus Cuniculus)

Abstract

Vanadium is considered a hazardous heavy metal because it has a highly harmful effect on living organisms and because scientific studies in the literature on its effects are insufficient. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the effect of one of the widely used compounds of this metal, namely vanadium sulfate, on the fertility by determining its effect on the histological structure of the testes of New Zealand white rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). To achieve the objective of this study, 12 rabbits were used, equally divided into three groups. The groups were classified into a control group, whose animals were injected only with distilled water, and two experimental groups, whose animals were continuously injected with concentrations of 10 and 15 mg/kg, respectively, of vanadium sulfate solution for a specific period of 30 days. The following day, the rabbits were sacrificed, the testes were removed, and the histological sections were prepared according to the known reference method. Microscopic examination of the prepared tissue sections revealed that the overall appearance of the seminiferous tubules had become wavy, and that the walls of some of these tubules had suffered marked shrinkage, while the wall thickness had increased in others. Treatment with vanadium sulfate led to the shedding of some germ layer cells and their accumulation in the seminiferous tubules, and the appearance of nuclear condensation and inter-sperm vacuoles in some of these tubules. Follow-up examination of the tissue sections indicated that some germ cells suffered from nuclear lysis, as well as hydro-degeneration, appearing swollen with dark-colored nuclei in their center due to fluid accumulation within them.