Abstract |
In the present study, effects of 2-ethoxyethanol (EE) on semen parameters in male rats were investigated employing an animal model that allowed assessment of toxicity and recovery in the same animal. Prior to exposure, 7 day old Long-Evans hooded males were placed with ovariectomized, hormonally-primed females on several occasions and their copulatory behaviors were monitored and scored. At 100 days of age, these males were mated with females that were sacrificed 15 minutes postejaculation. The semen sample was recovered from the female reproductive tract and scored for sperm motility, sperm count, and abnormal sperm morphology. Following this pre-exposure baseline assessment, the males were intubated with 0, 936, 1872, or 2808 mg/kg EE for 5 consecutive days. The males were mated weekly for the next 14 weeks. Copulatory behaviors were monitored and ejaculated semen samples analyzed on Weeks 1, 4, 7, 10 and 14. |