Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medical Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.
Cell Tissue Res. 2012 Aug;349(2):625-30. doi: 10.1007/s00441-012-1408-6. Epub 2012 May 29.
Pseudoephedrine, an over-the-counter drug, is commonly used for the treatments of asthma, nasal congestion, and obesity. Furthermore, it can be used as a psychostimulant drug if taken in large doses; however, there have been no reports on its effects on reproduction. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effects of pseudoephedrine administration on sperm morphology, sperm concentration and apoptotic activity in the rat testis. Rats were administered intraperitoneally (IP) with pseudoephedrine at 120 mg/kg for the acute group and 80 mg/kg, IP, once daily for 15 days for the chronic group, while a control group was treated with vehicle. The percentages of normal sperm morphology were significantly decreased in both acute and chronic groups when compared with controls while the total sperm count was significantly decreased in the acute group. Apoptotic activities were increased significantly in both pseudoephedrine-treated groups. The results indicate that pseudoephedrine can induce sperm abnormalities, decrease sperm numbers and increase apoptotic activity in the testis of rats if taken at high doses. The results of this study suggest that the users of pseudoephedrine in medical treatments need to be aware of its potential toxicity involving spermatogenesis.
伪麻黄碱是一种非处方药物，常用于治疗哮喘、鼻塞和肥胖症。此外，如果大剂量服用，它也可以用作一种精神兴奋剂药物；然而，目前还没有关于它对生殖影响的报告。因此，本研究旨在探讨伪麻黄碱给药对大鼠睾丸精子形态、精子浓度和凋亡活性的影响。大鼠分别经腹腔注射（IP）给予 120mg/kg 伪麻黄碱（急性组）和 80mg/kg 伪麻黄碱，每日一次，共 15 天（慢性组），对照组给予载体处理。与对照组相比，急性组和慢性组的正常精子形态百分比显著降低，而急性组的总精子计数显著降低。两组伪麻黄碱处理组的凋亡活性均显著增加。结果表明，高剂量服用伪麻黄碱可导致大鼠睾丸精子畸形、精子数量减少和凋亡活性增加。本研究结果提示，在医学治疗中使用伪麻黄碱的患者需要意识到其对生精过程潜在的毒性。
