Short-term studies of the effect of acrylamide on the testes of the Egyptian toad

The treatment of male Egyptian toads (Bufo regularis) with acrylamide (1 mg/toad twice a week for four weeks) was followed by atrophy of the testes, inhibition of spermatogenesis and necrosis of the seminiferous tubules with signs of vacuolation. Ultrastructurally, the Leydig cells of treated toads displayed varying degrees of vacuolation of the mitochondria, with a decrease in the number of ribosomes. The mechanism of the action of acrylamide in inhibiting spermatogenesis may be due to a decrease in the testosterone level, as borne out by vacuolation of the mitochondria and the decrease in the ribosomes in the Leydig cells of treated animals.