Impact of Metformin on Immunity and Male Fertility in Rabbits with Alloxan-Induced Diabetes

Abstract

A study was designed to explore the possible side effects of metformin on immunity and fertility of male rabbits with alloxan- induced diabetes. Sixteen adult male rabbits were used in this study, they were classified into four equal groups as follows: the first group received neither alloxan nor metformin and remained as control group. Rabbits in the 2 nd group were orally treated with metformin at a dose of 120 mg/kg b.wt once a day for 3 months .Rabbits in the 3 rd group were administered alloxan, I/V, at a single dose of 100 mg/kg b.wt.Rabbits in the 4 th group were administered alloxan (100 mg/kg b.wt, single I/Vdose) then treated orally with metformin (120 mg/kg b.wt.) once daily for 3 months. Rabbits in all groups were subcutaneously injected with 2 ml polyvalent rabbit pasteurellosis vaccine after two months from the beginning of experiment for studying the immunological profile of the drug. Treatment of diabetic and non-diabetic rabbits with metformin evoked a significant decrease (P< 0.05) in nitric oxide production on the 1 st and the 2 nd day post vaccination .In response to treatment with metformin, rabbits demonstrated a significant decrease (P< 0.05) in serum lysozyme activity on the 1 st , 2 nd , 3 rd day and in the 1 st week post vaccination while diabetic rabbits treated with metformin showed a significant decrease (P< 0.05) in serum lysozyme activity on the 3 rd day and on the 1st , 3rd and 4th week post vaccination . In addition, treatment with metformin of diabetic and non-diabetic rabbits resulted in a significant decrease(P< 0.05) in testicular weight , sperm cell count, sperm motility and serum testosterone with a significant increase in sperm abnormalities and dead sperm %. Summing up our observations, the present study calls into question the justification for the use of metformin in a frame of a therapeutic strategy for diabetes due to its resulting negative impact on immunity and male fertility. (Naglaa, Z.H. Eleiwa; Hesham, A.M.; Hosny Abdel Fadil and Abdel Motal, S.M. Impact of Metformin on Immunity and Male Fertility in Rabbits with Alloxan- Induced Diabetes. Journal of American Science 2010;6(11):417-426). (ISSN: 1545-1003).