EFFECTS OF DIETARY NATURAL ZEOLITE ON THE TESTICULAR WEIGHT, BODY WEIGHT AND SPERMATOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN RATS

Year 2007, Volume: 33 Issue: 3, 33 - 42, 29.11.2012

Muzaffer Taş Ramazan Demirel Dilek Şentürk Doğan Kurt Süleyman Bacınoğlu Ümüt Cirit M. Ketani

Abstract

ABSTRACT

Zeolites are natural or synthetic crystalline aluminosilicates with ion exchanging properties. Although zeolites have been used as animal feed additive for more than 40 years, there is no report about the effects of zeolites on spermatological traits. The aim of this study was to designate the effects of zeolite on the testicular weight, live body weight and spermatological characteristics in rats. Twenty-four, 8- week-old, Sprague-Dawley male rats were used in the study. Rats were weighed and randomly divided into control and feeding groups at the beginning of the study. Feeding groups were formed by adding zeolite at rates of 2%, 4% and 6% to standard rat food. Subsequently the prepared rations were pelleted in 1 cm diameter and fed to the rats for 8 weeks. At the end of the study live weights of all rats were recorded and all animals were anesthetized with sodium thiopental. Then, the testes, epididymis, seminal vesicles and ventral prostate were removed, cleared from the surrounding tissues and testicular weights were recorded for each animal. Cauda epididymis fluid was aspirated by a pipette and spermatological examinations were made.

The mean live weight gain during the study was 49.37±17.18, 44.84±10.25, 39.45±5.98 and 47.09±11.49 g in control (0%), 2%, 4% and 6% zeolite groups, respectively (P>0.05). No statistical difference with regard to testis weight and spermatozoon motility could be determined among the groups (P>0.05). However, when compared with all groups the rates of amorphous head (P<0.001), bent at cephalo-caudal junction (P<0.01), and total morphological defects (P<0.001) of the 6% zeolite group were found to be significantly higher.

It was concluded that high rates of zeolite could affect the spermatozoon morphology negatively in male animals and the effects of zeolite on reproduction in farm animals require to be studied.

Key Words: Zeolite; Rat; Spermatological characteristics; Motility; Morphology

 

RATLARDA DOGAL ZEOLITIN TESTIS AGIRLIGI, VÜCUT AĞIRLIĞI VE SPERMATOLOJİK ÖZELLİKLER ÜZERİNDEKİ ETKİLERİ

ÖZET

Zeolitler iyon değişim özelliğine sahip doğal veya sentetik kristalize alüminyum slikat bileşikleridir. Kırk yılı aşkın süredir hayvanlarda yem katkı maddesi olarak kullanılmalarına rağmen zeolitlerin spermatolojik özellikler üzerindeki etkileri bilinmemektedir. Bu çalışmada, erkek ratlarda zeolitin vücut ağırlığı, testis ağırlığı ve spermatolojik özellikler üzerindeki etkilerinin belirlenmesi amaçlandı. Araştırmada 24 adet 8 haftalık Sprague-Dawley erkek rat kullanıldı. Ratlar çalişma başlangıcında tartılarak rastlantısal olarak dört gruba ayrıldı. Yüzde yirmi dört protein içeren standart toz rat yemine %0 (kontrol), %2, %4 ve %6 oranında zeolit karıştırılarak besleme grupları oluşturuldu. Daha sonra hazırlanan bu toz karışım pellet haline getirilerek 8 hafta süre ile ratların beslenmesinde kullanıldı. Çalışma sonunda ratların canlı ağırlıkları kaydedildi ve sodium thiopental anestezisi uygulandı. Daha sonra testisler, epididimisler, vesicula seminalisler ve ventral prostat çıkarılarak çevre dokularından temizlendi ve testis ağırlıkları kaydedildi. Kauda epididimis sıvısı pipet aracılığı ile aspire edilerek spermatozolojik muayeneler yapıldı.

Çalışma süresince elde edilen ortalama canlı ağırlık artışı kontrol (%0), %2, %4 ve %6 zeolit gruplarında sırasıyla 49.37±17.18, 44.84±10.25, 39.45±5.98 ve 47.09±11.49 g olarak tespit edildi (P>0.05). Testis ağırlığı ve spermatozoon motilitesi bakımından gruplar arasında istatistiksel farklılık bulunamadı (P>0.05). Ancak diğer bütün gruplar ile karşılaştırıldığında, %6 zeolit grubunun şekilsiz baş (P<0.001), boyun-orta kısım bağlantı hataları (P<0.01), ve toplam morfolojik bozukluk (P<0.001) oranları onemli derecede yüksek bulundu.

Bu çalışmadan, yüksek oranlardaki zeolitin erkek hayvanlarda spermatozoon morfolojisini olumsuz yönde etkileyebileceği ve çiftlik hayvanlarında zeolitin reproduksiyon üzerindeki etkilerinin incelenmesinin gerektiği sonuçları çıkarıldı.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Zeolit; Rat; Spermatolojik ozellikler; Motilite; Morfoloji

Keywords

Zeolit, Rat, Spermatolojik özellikler, Motilite, Morfoloji

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