[Cytostatic treatment of the male rat: effects on offspring and protection by initial hormonal treatment].

Cytostatic drugs induce the risk of anomalies in progeny. An arrest of spermatogenesis before the onset of such treatment in the male might protect the germ cells against genotoxic effects. In this study we investigate this possibility in rats by giving a hormonal treatment (medroxyprogesterone acetate plus testosterone, MPAT) which reversibly inhibits the spermatogenic process before the cytostatic treatment (cyclophosphamide, CP). Changes in body weight and behavior were found in the progeny of males treated only with CP. These anomalies were partially corrected in the group where the progenitors had received MPAT. These results agree with the hypothesis that quiescent cells are more resistant to cytostatic drugs and justify further research in this area.