Reproductive performance and fertility in male and female adult mice chronically treated with hexarelin

PUECHAGUT P; MARTINI AC; STUTZ G; SANTILLÁN ME; LUQUE EM; FIOL DE CUNEO M; RUIZ RD; VINCENTI LM

CSIRO PUBLISHING

Año: 2012 vol. 24 p. 451 - 451

exarelin (HEXr), a synthetic ghrelin analogue, has been associated with modifications of reproductive physiology. In previous studies of adult mice, we detected that HEXr induced significantly reduced ovulation rate and significant correlation coefficients between sexual maturation and corporal weight in offspring. In this study, we investigated the effects of chronic HEXr administration on sperm concentration and functional activity, oestrous cyclicity and pregnancy index, in addition to the number of fetuses and its correlation with the number of corpora lutea. Adult Albino swiss mice were injected (sc) daily with HEXr: 100 mgkg 1 day 1 (HEXr D1) or 200 mgkg 1 day 1 (HEXr D2) for 53 days in males and 30 days in females.We detected a significantly decreased ratio in the number of fetuses per corpora lutea in females treated with HEXr D2 for 30 days before mating and during the first 6 days of pregnancy, in addition to a downward trend in the pregnancy index and percentage