Naringenin ameliorates aluminum toxicity-induced testicular dysfunctions in mice by suppressing oxidative stress and histopathological alterations

Abstract

Environmental aluminum intoxication has shown increasingly alarming negative consequences on reproductive health. This needs mechanistic exploration and preventive management using medicines like herbal supplementation. The ameliorative effects of naringenin (NAR) against AlCl₃-induced reproductive toxicity were thus evaluated in this study by assessing testicular dysfunction in albino male mice. A group of mice was treated with AlCl₃ (10 mg/kg b.w./day) and then with NAR (10 mg/kg b.w./day) for a total of sixty-two days. Results show that treatment of AlCl₃ significantly reduced the body weight and testis weight of mice. AlCl₃ caused oxidative damage in mice as evidenced by an increase in the concentration of nitric oxide, advanced oxidation of protein product, protein carbonylation, and lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, diminished activity of antioxidant moieties included superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione, and oxidized glutathione. Several histological changes, such as spermatogenic cell degeneration, germinal epithelium detachment, and structural abnormalities in seminiferous tubules, were observed in AlCl₃-treated mice. Oral administration of NAR was found to restore body weight and testes weight and ameliorated reproductive dysfunctions. NAR decreased oxidative stress, replenished the antioxidant defense system, and improved histopathological alterations in the AlCl₃-treated testes. Therefore, the present study suggests that the supplementation of NAR may be a beneficial strategy to mitigate AlCl₃-induced reproductive toxicity and testicular dysfunction.

Keywords:

• Environmental toxicity
• aluminum
• naringenin
• testicular dysfunction
• oxidative stress

Acknowledgments

The authors extend their sincere thanks to the Department of Zoology and Sophisticated Instrumentation Center (SIC), Dr. Harisingh Gour Central University, Sagar, for proving laboratory and instrumental facilities. Also, sincere thanks to the Department of Science and Technology (Govt. of India) for providing DST-FIST Grant to the Department.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Authors' contributions

Performed experiments, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript: RR. Supervised the work and revised the manuscript: DJ. Overall managed/organized the research work, conceptualized the study design, finalized the manuscript, and managed the manuscript submission: SKM. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Additional information

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.