Alteration in the protein profile of rat testis following antenatal exposure of foetuses to cyclophosphamide during differentiation

Abstract

Effect of cyclophosphamide treatment on protein profile in neonatal rat testis was investigated. Cyclophosphamide was administered in a single dose of 2, 10 or 20 mg/kg body weight on the 12th day of gestation, which is a critical time point for differentiation of gonads. The protein profile in the testis of the newly born pups was analyzed by SDS-PAGE. A quantitative and qualitative difference in the protein bands was found between untreated and treated groups. An over expression of a band corresponding to 20.0 kd, while a reduction in the band size of 68.0 kd and 44.0 kd was observed. There was a complete disappearance of band corresponding to 74.0 kd following cyclophosphamide treatment. The possible mechanisms and significance of such effects of cyclophoaphamide on the protein synthesis in the development of gonads is discussed.