Ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic, recently has spread as a recreational drug. Its abuse lead to neurobehavioral
disturbance in addition to toxic effects on other body organs. To evaluate the toxic effects of chronic administration
of low ketamine doses on the memory, testicles, and erection, explore its pathophysiology through
oxidative stress mechanism and examine the ameliorating effect of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). A total of 40 male
albino rats were assigned to control, vehicle, ketamine only I.P. (10 mg/kg), and ketamine (10 mg/kg) + NAC
(150 mg/kg) groups. Assessment of memory affection and erectile function by Passive Avoidance, Novel Object
Recognition, and copulatory tests were performed. Estimation of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and
total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in serum and prefrontal & hippocampal homogenate, and luteinizing hormone
(LH), testosterone in serum were done. Prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and testes were collected for histopathology.
Chronic ketamine administration induced significant memory deficits (P<0.05), reduced erectile
function (P<0.05), severe hypospermatogenesis, increased MDA, reduced CAT, TAC levels in serum, and tissue
homogenate (P<0.05) and reduction of LH, and testosterone (P<0.05). Treatment with NAC resulted in
significant improvement of memory function, improved erectile function, and decrease in oxidative injury in
both serum and tissue homogenates. Testosterone and LH levels exhibited significant difference between
treatment groups and controls (P<0.05). NAC reduced the deleterious histopathological changes. These data
suggest that long-term ketamine affects short and long memory, induces erectile and testicular dysfunction
through oxidative stress. Co-administration with NAC ameliorates these toxic effects.