Introduction: Opioids are substances that act on opioid receptors to produce morphine-like effects. Medically, they are primarily used for pain relief and reports have shown that Valorphin causes degenerative changes to the testes. This will in turn reduce male fertility. Thus, this work aims to investigate the effects of the pain relief drug (Valorphin) on the testes and the effect of co-administration of Zinc and Ascorbate on Adult Male Wistar Rats.
Methods: Twenty-five (25) Wistar rats weighing between 150-180 g were used and randomly assigned into five groups designated as A, B, C, D, E (n = 5). Group A was designed as a control group which received normal saline while Group B received 3 mg/kg body weight of Valorphin only, Group C received 3 mg/kg of Valorphin and 150 mg/kg of Vitamin C, Group D received 3 mg/kg of Valorphin and 7 mg/kg of Zinc only, while Group E received 3 mg/kg of Valorphin 150 mg/kg of Vitamin C and 7 mg/kg of Zinc.
Results: Serum testosterone concentration, percentage motile sperm, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (Gpx) concentrations were significantly reduced in the Valorphin-only treated group, while the androgen receptor (AR) gene was also down-regulated in this group. Significant increases in all these parameters (testosterone, motile sperm, SOD, Gpx, and AR gene) were observed in the groups where Valorphin was co-treated with zinc and vitamin C. Histopathologic results showed degenerative changes in the group administered with Valorphin only, and their lumen was devoid of sperm cells.
Conclusion: Valorphin has been shown to have a deleterious effect on the testes, primarily by its influence on the hypothalamic-hypophyseal-gonadal axis, while co-administration of zinc and vitamin C with valorphin significantly ameliorated this testicular toxicity.