Fertilizer treatment testing

In male rats orally administered 250 mg/kg of a benzene extract of holy basil daily for 48 days, a decrease in total sperm count, sperm motility, and forward velocity were observed along with an increase in abnormal sperm in caudal epididymal fluid. All parameters returned to normal within 2 weeks after cessation of treatment (Ahmed et al. 2002). In a related study with the same treatment regimen, changes in cells of the cauda epididymis were observed. After a fertility performance test, no implantations were observed in female rats mated with treated males (Ahmed et al. 2009). 

No spermatozoa are seen on the egg surface or on the vitelline coat. After 5 h of treatment with 10 M TBTCl, a few spermatozoa, with very anomalous heads, have been detected. The absence of spermatozoa on the egg surface or on the vitelline coat could be explained by the absence of the follicle cells, which, in S. plicata, primarily play an attracting function. It was previously shown that TBTCl solution, either 10 or 10 M, induces anomalies in spermatozoa, unfertilized, and fertilized eggs of Ascidia malaca. In particular, the follicle cells detach from eggs and the test cells show anomalies in their nucleus and granules. Moreover, damaged spermatozoa are observed in the vitelline coat, but never in... 

In a dominant lethal test, treatment of male mice with a single oral dose of 5 mg/kg disulfoton had no effect on male fertility (Herbold 1980). In a three-generation reproductive study, exposure of male and female rats to disulfoton in the diet at 0.5 mg/kg/day resulted a "slight" reduction of litter sizes in... 

Fig. 3. Schematic of teratogenicity screening assay. Fertilized eggs are collected within a few hours of spawning. The chorions can be removed by gentle enzymatic treatment with manual removal as needed. The embryos are then cultured for the desired period of time. When embryos are incubated in 1 ml of medium, continuous exposure (without medium changes) is possible for at least 5 days. Embryos are exposed to the test substance in the culture medium. At the desired timepoint(s) (e.g., 5 dpt), larvae can be evaluated for viability and developmental parameters. (Reprinted from Brannen et al. (4), by permission of John Wiley and Sons.).

Treatment starts when the embryo is attached to the uterine wall and has completed the first stages of implantation. Therefore, pre-implantation development should be unaffected by the test substance. However, even in controls, not all fertilized oocytes develop to the hatched blastocyst stage. A loss of up to two preimplantation embryos per female can be considered a normal finding in rats and rabbits. In studies where exposure begins at or before fertilization a dose-dependent increase in the number of females that show larger differences between corpora lutea and implantation sites may indicate toxicity to pre-implantation embryos or the process of implantation itself. 

Gysler M, March CM, Mishell DR Jr, Bailey EJ. A decade s experience with an individualized clomiphene treatment regimen including its effect on the postcoital test. Fertil Steril 1982 37(2) 161-7. 

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