Finasteride as a Positive Control on Reproduction Studies

The study investigated the effects of finasteride, a 5 α-reductase inhibitor, on pregnant Sprague Dawley rats to confirm its use as a positive control in reproduction studies. Administering 10 mg/kg/day of finasteride during gestation days 12 to 21 resulted in significant reproductive tract malformations in male offspring. These included delayed preputial separation, increased nipple retention (100%), cleft prepuce (83.9%), decreased anogenital distance (90.3%), and ectopic testes in 6.5% of cases. Additionally, males exposed in utero exhibited atrophy of genital structures and reduced weights of accessory sexual organs. The findings supported the use of finasteride as a positive control for studying reproductive damage.