الفهرس 
Material and methodsOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
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SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
A great deal of contradiction hazes the effects of opioid administration and the role of EOPs on different aspects of sexual functions and behavior. This motivated us to study the effects of opioids on different aspects of sexual function in male rats.
Adult sexually active experienced male rats were used to determine effects of acute and chronic morphine ad-ministration and effects of opioid antagonist (naloxone) on exploratory and sexual behavioral parameters, serum FSH, LH and PRL levels, seminal examination parameters and tes-ticular histology.
Acute and Chronic morphine administration (10 mg/kg bw.im.) to intact male rats resulted in no significant change in exploratory behavior parameters, but resulted in a statistically significant inhibition in all parameters of sexual behavior (mount, intromission, ejaculation and their latencies. It also caused a marked decrease in serum FSH, LH levels and marked increase in serum PRL levels (p < 0.01). Acute morphine administration (10 mg/kg bw.im.) to chroni-cally castrated rats resulted in no change in exploratory behavior parameters, yet it caused complete inhibition of all sexual activities in all members of this group of rats. while there was no change in serum FSH, LH and PRL levels compared to castrated saline treated rats.
Acute morphine administration caused a statistically significant decrease in sperm viability and motility (P < 0.01) while sperm count and abnormal forms and testicular
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histology were insignificantly affected. Whereas, chronic morphine administration (10 mg/kg bw. im.) resulted in a marked decrease in sperm count, viability, motility and sever degenerative and necrotic changes in spermatogenic cells lining the seminiferous tubules.
Morphine withdrawal for 50 days after chronic morphine administration (10mg/kg bw.im for 45 days) resulted in a statistically insignificant changes in different parameters of exploratory behavior and sexual behavior, serum LH, PRL levels and different parameters of seminal analysis (sperm count, viability, motilility and abnormal forms), while serum FSH were significantly reduced and testicular his-tological pictures were nearly normal, but there were marked increase in round spermatids and mild degenerative changes of spermatogenic cells in the form of sloughing of few sper-matocytes.
Acute naloxone administration in a dose of 4 mg/kg bw.ip. to intact sexually active male rats resulted in no significant change in exploratory and sexual behavior per-formed by these rats, but serum FSH and LH levels were significantly increased while serum PRL levels were sig-nificantly reduced. The above mentioned dose of naloxone caused a statistically significant reduction in sperm viability and motility but no change in sperm count and abnormal forms. Testicular histological pictures were nearly normal.
Acute naloxone administration (4 mg/kg bw.im.) to sexually inactive rat models (chronically castrated rats
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treated with low dose of testosterone propionate) resulted in no significant change neither in exploratory nor in sexual activities performed by these rats inspite of sig-nificant increase in serum FSH, LH levels and significant decrease of serum PRL levels.
In conclusion, the results of the present study
provides an additional evidence that EOPs have a modulatory role in the control of different aspects of sexual behavior, FSH, LH and PRL control. Morphine administration especially for prolonged duration and morphine abuse have a marked deliterious and inhibitory effects on sexual behavior, serum FSH, LH and PRL levels, different testicular and seminal functions and fertility, which may not return back to normal healthy levels even after prolonged duration of drug withdrawal. Results of this study also provides an evidence that the effects of opioids on sexual behavior may not be mediated through their hormonal modulating effects.