The Effects of Lead Acetate on Sexual Behavior and the Level of Testosterone in Adult Male Rats

BACKGROUND: In the present study, the oral effect of lead acetate on the parameters related to sexual behavior as well as changes in the level of testosterone hormone in adult male rats have been investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty adult male Wistar rats were allocated into five equal groups. The control group received nothing, the sham group received distilled water and the experimental groups received 25, 50 and 100mg/kg lead acetate orally, respectively for 28 days. The changes in testosterone hormone level and following sexual behavior parameters were investigated: mount latency (ML), intromission latency (IL), post ejaculatory interval (PEI), mount frequency (MF), ejaculatory latency (EL), intromission frequency (IF), copulatory efficacy (CE) and intercopulatory interval (ICI). RESULTS: The levels of testosterone hormone in the groups that received 50 and 100 mg/kg lead acetate showed significant decreases in compared to the control group. Additionally, the same doses of lead acetate caused significant increases in ML, IL, PEI and EL compared to the control group. No significant change was observed in MF, but a significant decrease was detected in IF and CE in the experimental group that received 100 mg/kg lead acetate when compared with the control group. ICI showed significant decreases in the experimental groups that received 50 and 100 mg/kg lead acetate compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that ingestion of lead acetate affects some behavioral activities and the testosterone level of male rats. These effects might be conducted via the alteration of leydig cells following lead acetate poisoning.