Abstract |
A series of studies was conducted to examine the role of copulatory dysfunction, spermatotoxicity, and/or impaired fertilization in the reduced rates of fertility and implantation observed in females mated to acrylamide-treated male rats. In initial experiments, males were gavaged with 0, 5, 15, 30, 45, or 60 mg/kg acrylamide (ACR) for 5 days and then mated serially to naive females. ACR treatment reduced fertility and increased pre- and post-implantation loss, primarily over the first 3 weeks post-treatment. The data suggest that events critical to the fertilizing ability of the sperm appear to play a major role in the reduced reproductive competence associated with ACR treatment in male rats. (Copyright (c) 1989 Elsevier Scientific Publishers Ireland Ltd.) |