Effect of dietary zinc and copper on peripheral blood plasma cholesterol, testosterone and histomorphology of testes in rats

Total plasma cholesterol (mg/dl) significantly (P less than 0.01) decreased from 70.8 to 54.01 as the dietary Cu levels increased from 2.5 to 5 ppm at 12 pm Zn concentrations in male weanling rats. A similar trend was observed in the blood peripheral testosterone concentration at 12 ppm Zn and 2.5 ppm Cu. Histological examination of testes revealed smaller seminiferous tubules with atrophy of germinal epithelium. Also a marked loss of spermatogenic cells was observed in Zn and Cu deficient rats.