Background: Formaldehyde is a chemical compound used in industrial field and hospitals. Melatonin is an endogenous hormone released by the pineal gland. Melatonin has an antioxidant effects. This work aimed to detect the abnormal histological changes in the testis of adult albino rats induced by formaldehyde and the possible protective role of using a melatonin drug in combination with formaldehyde.
Material and Methods: Thirty adult albino rats weighing 180-220 gm were divided into three groups; Group I (control): Rats of this group were intraperitoneally injected with 5% ethanol once every other day for one month. Group II (Formaldehyde treated group): Rats were intraperitoneally injected with formaldehyde at a dose of 10 mg/kg body weight once every other day for one month. Group III (Formaldehyde and melatonin treated group): Rats were intraperitoneally injected with formaldehyde at a dose of 10mg/kg body weight and after one hour they were intraperitoneally injected with melatonin at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight. Both drugs were injected once every other day for one month. The rats were sacrified, the testes were dissected, processed for light microscopy using) H&E ,Masson's trichrome, PAS(, electron microscope, morphometric and statistical measurements were also done.
Results: Examination of formaldehyde treated rats revealed thickening of tunica albuginea, tubular degeneration, loss of normal architecture of tubules, marked increase in the collagen fibers deposition, degenerated nuclei with indented and thickened nuclear envelope, ballooned mitochondria, karyolitic nucleus of a head of a sperm. Rats treated with melatonin together with formaldehyde showed obvious improvement in the previous alterations.
Conclusion: It could be concluded that formaldehyde induced histological alterations in the testis of albino rats that could be improved by using melatonin, so, it is essential to supply workers in anatomy department and food industries with melatonin but the human application needs further studies to adjust the dose and the route of administration