Protective effects of apigenin against Bisphenol A-induced testis toxicity in Wistar rats through modulating hepatic biochemical biomarkers and histological changes

Abstract

Apigenin (APG) is a phytopolyphenol widely distributed in the human diet and has been reported to exert antioxidant effects, such as lowering oxidative stress. This study has been designed to investigate the ameliorating effect of APG against oxidative stress induced by bisphenol A(BPA) in the liver and testis of male rats. Rats were divided into five groups of five animals each: G1 (control group), G2 (BPA 1 mg/kg B.wt), G3 (BPA 10 mg/kg B.wt), G4 (BPA + APG; 1 + 20 mg/kg/B.wt) and G5 (BPA + APG; 10 + 20 mg / kg/B.wt).The treatments have been given by gavage to rats daily for 30 days. After the last day of treatment, rats were sacrificed by decapitation after exposure to ether. The results showed that BPA exhibited a decrease in the body weight of rats. In addition, BPA significantly decreased the level of testosterone, LH, and reduced glutathione (GSH) and increased the level of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, bilirubin, and glutathione S-transferase (GST) compared with the control group. Moreover, the administration of APG decreased the levels of the liver biomarkers and improved the antioxidant stress state. The results suggested that APG supplementation with BPA-treated rats elicited a reduction of the toxic effects of the endocrine disruptors by improving the studied parameters, which was confirmed by the histological study of the testis structure and gonadal axis. Apigenin appears to have a promising prophylactic effect through its effective anti-radical action against the hepatotoxic and reprotoxic effects of BPA.