Investigation on sodium valproate induced germ cell damage, oxidative stress and genotoxicity in male Swiss mice

Sodium valproate (VPA) is the most widely used antiepileptic drug for the treatment of epilepsy, bipolar psychiatric disorders and migraine. However, long-term VPA treatment has several adverse effects on the reproductive system. The present study was aimed to investigate the possible germ cell toxicity of VPA in mice. Animals were treated with VPA intraperitoneally for 10 and 28 days at the doses of 500 mg/kg-d and 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg-d, respectively, and were sacrificed 24 h after the last dose. The germ cell toxicity of VPA was assessed using oxidative stress parameters, sperm count, sperm head morphology, sperm comet assay, 8-oxo-dG expression and histology. VPA treatment significantly decreased the sperm count, testes and epididymis weight and significantly increased the sperm head abnormality, sperm DNA damage, oxidative stress and 8-oxo-dG expression in the testes of mice. The present study illustrates that VPA induced germ cell toxicity in mice.