Ekstrakt lovorvišnje ublažava štetno djelovanje dimetoata na reproduktivnu funkciju i apoptozu stanica u testisu štakora

Dimethoate is an organophosphorus pesticide used against agricultural insects, which causes oxidative stress and damage in many organs, including the reproductive ones. Cherry laurel (Laurocerasus officinalis Roem.) fruit is rich in vitamins and phenolic compounds with antioxidant effect. The aim of this study was to investigate how effective its extract would be against dimethoate-induced testis and sperm damage in rats. Sixty animals were divided in six groups of 10. Group 1 (control) received only 1 mL of saline (0.9 % NaCl). Group 2 received 7 mg/kg of dimethoate in 1 mL of saline. Group 3 received 4 mg/kg of extract in 1 mL of saline. Group 4 received the extract 30 min before dimethoate administration. Group 5 received vitamin C (positive control, 100 mg/kg in 1 mL of saline) 30 min before dimethoate administration. Group 6 received only dimethoate for the first four weeks and then a combination of dimethoate and extract for another four weeks. All doses were administered daily by oral gavage. After eight weeks of treatment, the rats were euthanized and their reproductive organs removed. We took their body and reproductive organ weights and evaluated testicular oxidative stress, semen characteristics, sperm DNA damage, testicular apoptosis, and histopathological changes. Dimethoate significantly decreased body and reproductive organ weights, sperm motility and concentration, testicular superoxide dismutase, and glutathione-peroxidase activities and significantly increased lipid peroxidation, abnormal sperm rate, sperm DNA damage, testicular apoptosis, and caused histopathological lesions. Cherry laurel extract significantly countered many dimethoate-induced adverse effects, both as pre- and post-treatment, including reproductive organ weight, semen parameters, oxidant-antioxidant balance, sperm DNA integrity, testicular apoptosis, and histological structure. Our findings clearly suggest that the beneficial effects of the extract are associated with countering oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation in particular.Dimetoat je organofosforni insekticid koji uzrokuje oksidacijski stres i oštećuje mnoge organe, uključujući reproduktivne. Plod lovorvišnje (Laurocerasus officinalis Roem.) bogat je vitaminima i fenolnim spojevima s antioksidacijskim djelovanjem. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio utvrditi djelotvornost njegova ekstrakta protiv oštećenja testisa i spermija u mužjaka štakora izloženih dimetoatu. Njih 60 podijeljeno je nasumce u šest skupina od deset životinja. Prva je (kontrolna) skupina primala samo 1 mL fiziološke otopine (0,9 % NaCl), druga skupina 7 mg/kg dimetoata u 1 mL fiziološke otopine, treća skupina 4 mg/kg ekstrakta lovorvišnje u 1 mL fiziološke otopine, četvrta skupina ekstrakt 30 minuta prije primjene dimetoata, peta skupina vitamin C (pozitivna kontrola, 100 mg/kg u 1 mL fiziološke otopine) 30 min prije primjene dimetoata, a šesta skupina primala je dimetoat u prva četiri tjedna, potom kombinaciju dimetoata i ekstrakta lovorvišnje u sljedeća četiri tjedna. Sve navedene doze davane su svaki dan gavažom. Nakon osam tjedana primjene, štakori su eutanazirani, a njihovi reproduktivni organi odstranjeni. Izmjerena im je ukupna tjelesna masa i masa reproduktivnih organa te ocijenjen oksidacijski stres u testisima, značajke sjemena, oštećenja DNA spermija, apoptoza u testisima i histopatološke promjene. Dimetoat je značajno smanjio masu tijela i organa, gibljivost i koncentraciju spermija te aktivnost superoksid dismutaze i glutation-peroksidaze, a značajno povisio lipidnu peroksidaciju, postotak abnormalnih spermija, oštećenje DNA spermija, apoptozu u testisima te uzrokovao histopatološke promjene tkiva. Ekstrakt lovorvišnje značajno je ublažio te štetne učinke, bilo da je davan prije ili nakon dimetoata. Naši rezultati jasno upućuju na blagotvorno djelovanje toga ekstrakta, koje je povezano sa zaštitom od oksidacijskoga stresa, napose od lipidne peroksidacije