The effect of intratesticular injection of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles on plasma concentrations of LH, FSH, Testosterone and Corticosterone in Rat

This study was designed to evaluate the hormonal (LH, FSH, and Testosterone) changes after the intratesticular injection of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles in rats. In this study 60 adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups: control group (25 mg/ml zinc gluconate), sham group (distilled water as solvent) and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles groups (5,10, 25 mg/ml). Rats were sampled on day 30 (5 rats from each group) and day 60 (other rats) to measure hormones. Serum samples were stored at -20 ° C until hormone measurement. Plasma serum concentrations of LH in the Zinc Oxide Nanoparticle group were significantly higher than zinc oxide and distilled water groups (p < 0.05). On the other hand, serum plasma concentrations of testosterone in the zinc nanoparticle group were significantly lower than zinc oxide and distilled water groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in serum plasma concentrations of FSH and corticosterone between different groups of rats. A significant increase in serum LH concentration could be explained by the increase of LHRH release due to negative feedback of the hypothalamus in response to the reduction of testosterone concentration. In conclusion, our results showed that the intratesticular injection of zinc oxide nanoparticles in rats may be affected the reproductive system performance and fertility rate by inducing hormonal changes, which can be suggested for chemical sterilization.