P-33: Epididymal Sperm Analysis afterTime Dependant Administration of Methylphenidate in Adult Male Rats

Background: Methylphenidate is one of the most common medications used for treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It may be used for maintaining alertness and improving of attention which may lead to increase of the risk of substance abuse in some cases. The occurrence of alteration in male reproductive system such as hormonal secretion changes and alteration of testicular spermatogenesis has been reported. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methylphenidate related spermatogenic alteration on sperm production. Materials and Methods: Methylphenidate was administrated (10 mg/kg/day) for period of 14 and 56 consecutive days. For analyses of sperm, the cauda epididymis was separated from testis and cut into small pieces in one milliliter of Ham's F10 culture medium. The epididymal sperm count was evaluated by hemocytometer with light microscope. Sperm motility was assessed with phase contrast microscope at 400× magnification. In an average ten microscopic fields were observed and the mean of counted sperms was considered as sperm motility for each rat. To estimate the percentage viability, a volume of 20 μl of sperm suspension was mixed with an equal volume of 0.05 percent eosin-Y. Two hundred sperms were considered for calculating the indices for the experimental groups. Results: All indices of sperm analysis were reduced significant after 56 days administration of methylphenidate. The administration of this drug for 14 days was not altered sperm analysis indices significantly. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the reduction of sperm analysis indices following long term use of methylphenidate has a direct relationship with microscopic changes of spermatogenesis.