Increasing dose of Mithotrexate (25, 50, 100, 150, 200 mg/kg) were tested on Swiss
strain mouse by one intramuscular injection, and their effects were studied (15) days later.
The mean values of total spermatogonia and those of them undergoing mito
tic
division (in the metaphase) were evaluated in seminiferous tubular cross section, and the
mitotic index (MI) of the spermatogonia was also calculated.
Statistical analysis was performed by using IBM-Spss 19 program and for mean
values comparison (one way ANOVA: post Hos Test, Multiple Comparison, and Tukey
HSD) was used, while mitotic index was calculated by using Target Variable.
Our results showed that Methotrexate injection didn’t lead to a significant decrease
in spermatogonia mean values in the tested animals compared to the control, while it led to
a dose dependent gradual decrease in the mean values of the spermatogonia undergoing
mitotic division , and the greatest reduction was noticed in the two high doses: 150, 200,
mg/kg (7.10±9.4, 3.65±2.15 respectively) compared to the control (37.40±2.26), and which
led also to a severe reduction in the mitotic index (20.53%, 6.36% in the doses: 100, 200
mg/kg respectively) compared to the control (61.79%).
Intramuscular injection of increasing doses of Methotrexate Folateantagoniste
(25, 50, 100, 150, 250, 300 mg/ kg) on Swiss strain males mice ,
resulted in decreasing Spermatogenesis at stage VII whereas higher doses had
lethal effects.
In fact do
ses of 25 and 50 mg per kg were tolerable by mice and the
cytotoxic tolerance level decreased at higher doses (100 and 150 mg/kg).
Acute cytotoxic effect was noted at doses of 200 mg/kg and resulted in
destruction of cell line.
Doses of 250 and 300 mg/kg had lethal effect and the mice died 1 week after
injection.
In conclusion Methotrexate had cytotoxic effects on sperm cell lines.
100mg/kg doses decreased spermatogenesis while 200 mg/kg doses caused
greater side effects and higher doses were lethal to the mice 1 week after
injection.
