Effects of cinnamon (C. zeylanicum) bark oil against taxanes-induced damages in sperm quality, testicular and epididymal oxidant/antioxidant balance, testicular apoptosis, and sperm DNA integrity

The aim of this study was to investigate whether cinnamon bark oil (CBO) has protective effect on taxanes-induced adverse changes in sperm quality, testicular and epididymal oxidant/antioxidant balance, testicular apoptosis, and sperm DNA integrity. For this purpose, 88 adult male rats were equally divided into 8 groups: control, CBO, docetaxel (DTX), paclitaxel (PTX), DTX+PTX, DTX+CBO, PTX+CBO, and DTX+PTX+CBO. CBO was given by gavage daily for 10 weeks at the dose of 100 mg/kg. DTX and PTX were administered by intraperitoneal injection at the doses of 5 and 4 mg/ kg/week, respectively, for 10 weeks. DTX+PTX and DTX+PTX+CBO groups were treated with DTX during first 5 weeks and PTX during next 5 weeks. DTX, PTX, and their mixed administrations caused significant decreases in absolute and relative weights of all reproductive organs, testosterone level, sperm motility, concentration, glutathione level, and catalase activity in testicular and epididymal tissues. They also significantly increased abnormal sperm rate, testicular and epididymal malondialdehyde level, apoptotic germ cell number, and sperm DNA fragmentation and significantly damaged the histological structure of testes. CBO consumption by DTX-, PTX-, and DTX+PTX-treated rats provided significant ameliorations in decreased relative weights of reproductive organs, decreased testosterone, decreased sperm quality, imbalanced oxidant/ antioxidant system, increased apoptotic germ cell number, rate of sperm with fragmented DNA, and severity of testicular histopathological lesions induced by taxanes. In conclusion, taxanes cause impairments in sperm quality, testicular and epididymal oxidant/antioxidant balance, testicular histopathological structure, and sperm DNA integrity, and long-term CBO consumption protects male reproductive system of rats.Erciyes University—The Scientific Research Projects of Turkey (ERUBAP); Project number: TCD-2013-4247

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