Depressive disorders are extremely common mental disorders with a life-time prevalence of about 16%. Estimations have shown that by the year 2020 depressive disorders would be the second most significant contributor to the impairment of health globally. This paper is aimed at evaluating the role of reserpine on male reproductive hormones in rabbits. Ten sexually matured rabbits were used for the study, animals were divided into two groups (n=5). Group A (control) was given distilled water, Group B was given reserpine. Blood was collected for via cardiac puncture of the heart and various organs like epididymis, corpus carvenosa and testes were harvested for histological analysis. Data obtained were analyzed using Student’s T-test and p<0.05 was considered significant. The result obtained showed significant reduction in serum testosterone level, while serum LH and FSH level remained unchanged. Epididymal weight result showed significant decrease while testicular weight and corpus carvenosa remained unchanged. The cytoarchitecture of testicular tissue revealed severe damaged to the leydig cell, while that of penile tissue showed loosened connective tissues in corpus spongiosum. This study therefore confirms that reserpine alters serum testosterone levels in male rabbits but the mechanism still remains unclear.

Keywords : Depression; Erectile Dysfunction; Testosterone; Luteinizing Hormone; Follicle Stimulating Hormone; Epididymis