The Effect of Orally Administered L-carnitine on Testis Tissue, Sperm Parameters and Daily Sperm Production in Adult Mice

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to evaluate body and testis weight, testis tissue, counts, motility, viability, morphology, and chromatin quality of epididymal sperm, as well as the testicular spermatid number (TSN) per gram of testis, and daily sperm production (DSP) in L-carnitine treated mice. Materials and Methods: In the present study, adult male NMRI mice (mean age of 4 weeks) were administered L-carnitine by gavage for two weeks. The experimental groups received 1 mg L-carnitine/100 mu l deionized water and 10 mg L-carnitine/100 mu l deionized water, respectively. The control group did not receive L-carnitine. All samples were assessed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Sperm morphology was assessed with papanicula staining. Sperm chromatin quality was assessed using aniline-blue staining. The left testes were fixed in Bouins solution for histological examination and the end slices were stained with hematoxilin and eosin (H&E). The right testis was homogenized, and TSN and DSP were calculated with an improved neubauer haemocytometer and respective formula. Results: Administration of L-carnitine induced significant reduction in body weight (p<0.05) and an increase in tchromatine quality (p<0.05). Amongst the other parameters no significant differences were observed in all groups. Conclusion: These results show that oral administration of L-carnitine to mice with normal spermatogenesis does not have any significant effect on the reproductive systems. Thus, L-carnitine seems to be ineffective in normospermic animals.