Abstract: BACKGROUND ＆ AIM: To study the effects of chronic alcohol consumption on testicular structural and functional disturbance in male rats and the protective effect of vitamin A against it. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty 30 healthy Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: control, alcohol 7.5 g/kg and alcohol 7.5 g/kg＋vitamin A 50 μg/kg. Alcohol and vitamin A were administrated to the rats for 13 weeks by a gastric tube. The sperm counting,motility and the percentage of abnormal sperm were observed. Serum testosterone (T) was determined. The patholgical changes of testicle tissue of rats were observed by light and electron microscopy. The malonaldehyde (MDA) content of testicular mitochondrial was simultaneously determined. RESULTS: Compared with control group the sperm counting and motility of the alcohol group decreased (P<0.05). The frequency of abnormal sperm increased (P<0.05). Serum T level significantly decreased (P<0.05). The MDA content was markedly higher than that of the control (P<0.05). Histological evaluation of testes revealed that seminiferous epithelium was disorganized and that sertoli cells and germ cells degenerated in alcohol-treated rats. Vitamin A supplementation inhibited the testicular mitochondrial MDA formation and as a result germ cells degeneration was improved. Sperm counting and motility were higher than that of the alcohol treated group,but it didn't prevent the decline of serum T level. CONCLUSION: Chronic alcohol intake led to spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis inhibition in testes. Vitamin A supplementation prevented testis from the peroxidation injury which was a result of chronic alcohol exposure. To a certain degree, vitamin A supplementation protected the spermatogenesis function, but Leydig cell injury still occurred.

Key words: alcohol, testis, rat, Vitamin A, lipid peroxidation