Effect of alpha-chlorohydrin on the male reproductive organs of the Indian langur.

A subtoxic dose of alpha-chlorohydrin (3-chloro-1, 2-propanediol, U-5897) was injected subcutaneously 10 mg/kg for 30 days into adult male langur monkeys (Presbytis). The animals did not lose weight; there was a reduction of weight of the testis and accessories. Histologically, spermatogenesis was suppressed but the interstitial cells appeared normal. In the caput epididymides, the diameter of the tubule was reduced by half as compared to the control and the height of cells was also reduced; in the cauda epididymidis, the cilia were either absent or reduced in size. Sialic acid concentration was reduced in the testis and epididymis of the treated animals; fructose in seminal vesicle and citric acid in prostate were also reduced though morphologically the interstitial cells looked normal, they were functionally anti-anabolic. This appears to be a new profile of alpha-chlorohydrin action in a primate.