Effects of low doses of alpha chlorohydrin on the lipid metabolism of the rat testis and epididymis--a correlative histochemical and biochemical study.

A biochemical and histochemical study was carried out on the effects of low doses of alpha chlorohydrin on the lipid metabolism of the rat testis and epididymis. Administration of alpha chlorohydrin in low doses (6.5 mg/kg for 9 days) to Wistar strain rats caused an elevation of lipid levels in the testis and epididymis. Actually, an increase in the neutral fat occurred with a corresponding decrease in the phospholipids after treatment with alpha chlorohydrin. We suggest that the rat's total lipid, total cholesterol, cholesterol esters, and triglycerides were increased at the cost of phospholipids. The altered levels of lipid fractions were due to the increased activity of glycerol phosphate dehydrogenase and to the decreased activities of nonspecific esterase and lipase after treatment with the drug. These alterations of lipid metabolism, which were regulated through their enzyme systems, strongly reflect the damage to the metabolism of the testis and epididymis after treatment with low doses of alpha chlorohydrin, although there was no histological damage at this dose level.