Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, a propolis polyphenolic, attenuates potentially cadmium-induced testicular dysfunction in mice

Abstract

Cadmium (Cd) as environmental pollutant can induce severe damage, particularly to the testis. This study investigated the effects of Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on testicular dysfunction induced by Cd. Adult mice were intraperitoneally injected with cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) with different doses of CAPE pretreatment. After CdCl₂ injection, body/testis weight ratio decreased, Cd levels accumulated and zinc levels decreased in testis. Furthermore, Cd intoxication caused a significant increase of oxidative stress levels, antioxidant enzymes activities, and glutathione levels. Interestingly, significant improvements were observed after the administration of CAPE. Our results demonstrated the protective effect of CAPE, linking Cd testicular dysfunction to oxidative stress.

KEYWORDS::

• Cadmium
• caffeic acid phenethyl ester
• testicular dysfunction
• oxidative stress

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the program of Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Ischemic Cardiovascular Diseases [2016-ZDKF05], Key Laboratory of Agro-Products Processing, Ministry of Agriculture (2017–07), and General Plan of Shaanxi Province-Agricultural Field [No. 2017NY-103].