Alteration of Haematological Parameters and Testicular Components Due to the Administration of Methylmethane Sulphonate in the Wild Indian House Rat, Rattus Rattus

Some changes of the haematogical parameters of the peripheral blood and in the morphological and physiological aspects of testis were determined on 2,7,15, 30 and 45 days after the treatment of adult male wild Indian house rat, Rattus rattus with methylmethane sulphonate (MMS), at a single dose of 20 mg/kg body weight. The number of total erythrocytes and leucocytes, the frequency of differential leucocytes, haemoglobin concentration, packed cell volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration were recorded. There was no significant change in total RBC count. Significant changes in total count of leucocytes were noticed in the 2 and 7 days of post treatment. Lymphocytes and eosinophil of the differential count; haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume were also depressed from 2 to 30 days period of post-treated animals. The weights of the body and testis were depressed especially in the 15 days of post treatment. Significant changes within the testicular tissues, depletion of spermatid and spermatozoa in 2,7,15 and 30 days after treatment of animals were noticed. The morphological abnormalities of the sperm at the scanning electron microscopical (SEM) level were also observed from 2 to 30 days of post treatment. Significant depletion of the level of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, elevation of ascorbic acid and cholesterol were observed within the testicular tissues of the treated animals in the 15 days post-treated. The changes regained normalcy after 45 days of posttreated animals. These results pointed out the haematological changes and antifertility action of methylmethane sulphonate in the R. rattus.