Activity of ethylene oxide in the mouse sperm morphology test.

Inhaled ethylene oxide induced an increased frequency of abnormal sperm cells in mice when the animals were treated at 200 and 400 ppm (6 h per day; 5 days) in three stages of cell development: spermatozoa, spermatid and preleptotene spermatogonial cells. These results suggest that sperm head morphology changes can be induced by interference of ethylene oxide with spermatogenesis, which, depending on the stage of the treated germ cells, may be correlated with the mutagenic potential of this chemical agent.