Sperm Production Rates, Sperm Physiology and Fertility in Rats Chronically Treated with Sublethal Doses of Aflatoxin B1

Abstract

Rats chronically treated with sublethal doses of aflatoxin B1 suffered severe testicular degeneration and impaired spermatocytogenesis with a concomitant drop in the rate and efficiency of spermatozoal production. Although the major part of sperm maturation was disturbed, there was no noticeable reduction in the viability of spermatozoa in storage, hence a fairly high degree of fertilisation occurred. That the treatment made the uterine environment less compatible with normal foetal development was demonstrated by the smaller litter size and higher embryo mortality.