Testicular changes due to graded doses of nicotine in albino mice

Administration of graded doses of nicotine (0.2 mg, 0.4 mg and 0.6 mg/100 g body weight) for 15 days to the adult mice reduced the weight of testis, number of spermatocytes and spermatids, but increased the number of spermatogonia which may be due to reduced conversion to subsequent stages. There is a high cholesterol content and Sudanophilic lipid accumulation in the treated testis. The weight of accessory sex organs which is dependent on androgens produced by the testis is also reduced. These changes are brought because of the non-availability of pituitary gonadotrophins essential for initiation and completion of spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis in the testis due to the administration of nicotine, which being CNS depressor might have caused inhibition in the neural stimulus essential for release of pituitary gonadotrophins.