Effect of amlodipine, a calcium channel antagonist, on gonadal steroid of male Wistar albino rats

correspondence: Erhabor Osaro Blood sciences Department, Royal Bolton hospital, Bolton Lancashire, UK Tel +44 79 3236 3217 Email [email protected] Abstract: This study was carried out to investigate the effect of prolonged intake of calciumchannel blocker amlodipine, an antihypertensive drug on gonadal steroid hormone (testosterone) of male albino rats. Three different concentrations of amlodipine (0.01, 0.02 and 0.03 mg/kg body weight) was administered orally to three different groups (B, C, and D) of experimental male Wistar albino rats (n = 8) for six weeks. Group A rats were fed normal diet without amlodipine (n = 8) served as the control. The administration of amlodipine significantly reduced testosterone level in the following order, group A (0.22 ± 0.01)  B (0.18 ± 0.01)  C (0.14 ± 0.01)  D (0.10 ± 0.01). The reduction in testosterone levels corresponded with an increase in the concentration of amlodipine administered to male Wistar albino rats. The observation in this study reveals that long-term treatment of male Wistar rats with calciumchannel blocker and antihypertensive (amlodipine) produces a significant reduction in the level of testosterone a hormone associated with decreased ability of men to enjoy sex and to develop good quality erections. There is the need for a large scale study to investigate the potential effect of long-term antihypertensive therapy with amlodipine on sexual dysfunction in men.