Toxic Effects of Ribavirin on the Testicular Interstitium in Albino Rats

Introduction: Ribavirin due to its mutagenic property exerts cytotoxic effects on gonads in a transient fashion that have been studied on the testicular tissues of various experimental animals. Ample data is not available regarding its toxicity on testicular interstitium that has led this research. Aims & Objectives: Aim of the study was the evaluation of the toxicity of ribavirin in different doses on the testicular interstitium at different time points in albino rats. Place and duration of study: The experiment was performed in Anatomy Department of Postgraduate Medical Institute, Lahore and completed in three months. Material & Methods: 72 adult male albino rats were divided into 4 equal groups with 18 rats in every group. 0.75ml distilled water was given to Control (A) group intraperitoneally and Ribavirin was administered by same route in doses: 20mg, 100mg and 200mg/kg body weight, single dose for 5 days to experimental groups B, C and D respectively. Every group was subdivided into 3 small subgroups in accordance with 20th, 40th and 60th sacrificial days from the last dose of drug. On each sacrificial time 6 rats from a group were selected and sacrificed. Data was entered on SPSS 23.0 software and comparison among groups was made by Pearson’s chi square test. P-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: Interstitial widening and edema with congested vessels were observed in all study groups on 20th sacrificial day in comparison to control group. Signs of recovery in the form of decrease in widening, edema and congestion were only observed in rats of low dose groups on day 40th and 60th in comparison with high dose groups that didn’t show reversibility of these changes. Conclusion: A patient who is taking Ribavirin as an antiviral therapy should be counselled about the reversibility of its gonadotoxicity.