Effect of 1-(2, 4-dichlorobenzyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxylic acid (DICA) on the sex organs of the male laboratory mouse.

Oral administration (50 mg/kg body weight/day, for 28 days) of 1-(2,4-dichlorobenzyl)-1H-indazole-3-carboxylic acid (DICA) induced significant reduction in testicular weight with suppression of spermatogenesis. The seminiferous tubules were devoid of spermatozoa and contained only Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, spermatocytes and several multinucleated giant cells. The Leydig cells, however, remained unaffected in treated animals. The drug also induced significant decrease in the levels of testicular RNA and protein; DNA level, however, remained unaltered. Epididymis in DICA-treated mice presented normal histology except that the lumen contained sperm debris; cauda epididymidal spermatozoa were immotile and often fragmented. DICA treatment caused no change in the level of fructose in the seminal vesicle. DICA-induced alterations were reversible and within 56 days of drug withdrawal the reproductive organs returned to their normal state.