Morphometric assessment of the ovaries in mice treated with the zolpidem using stereology technique

Introduction: Due to the unusual use of hypnotic drugs in communities, the use of zolpidem as a strong sedative for inducing and maintaining sleep in adults has increased. Although this drug is widely used, there is not enough information about its effect on the ovarian structure. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the morphometric characteristics of the ovaries of adult female mice using the accurate and unbiased technique of stereology following zolpidem administration in mice.
Material and methods: In this experimental study 40 female adult mice were used for three treatment groups, (respectively receiving 5, 10, 15 mg per kilogram of body weight of zolpidem drug) and control. mices in the control and treatment groups received normal saline and the sedative drug zolpidem intraperitoneally during a 42-day period. Then ovarian samples were isolated for stereological studies.
Results:Total ovarian volume, cortex volume, medulla volume, total follicle volume as well as the average volume of antral and pre-antral follicle oocytes showed a significant decrease only in rats receiving 15 mg per kilogram of body weight zolpidem compared to the control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The present study showed that the use of 15 mg per kilogram of body weight of zolpidem drug leads to the induction of adverse effects on the morphometric characteristics of the ovaries in the rats of this experimental group.