Hexachlorocyclohexane-induced testicular dysfunction in rats.

Weanling male albino rats were fed 100, 750 and 1500 p.p.m. of technical HCH for 90 days. There was marked testicular atrophy with reduced tubule size and spermatogenetic arrest at 1500 p.p.m. Histochemically, there was accumulation of cholesterol-positive lipids in the Sertoli cells and the Leydig cells of the atrophied testis and biochemical estimation revealed significant increase of total lipid and cholesterol contents. Activities of delta 5 3 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (delta 5 3 beta HSDH), 17 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17 beta HSDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PDH) in the interstitial cells were markedly decreased suggesting steroidogenic inhibition in the Leydig cells of the atrophied testis due to HCH feeding.