Abstract
BackgroundPomegranate fruit has been extensively used as a natural medicine in many cultures. The present study was aimed at evaluating the protective effects of pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced oxidative stress and testes injury in adult Wistar rats.MethodsTwenty eight Wistar albino male rats were divided equally into 4 groups for the assessment of protective potential of pomegranate juice. Rats of group I (control) received only vehicles and had free access to food and water. Rats of groups II and IV were treated with CCl4 (2 ml/kg bwt) via the intraperitoneal route once a week for ten weeks. The pomegranate juice was supplemented via drinking water 2 weeks before and concurrent with CCl4 treatment to group IV. Group III was supplemented with pomegranate juice for twelve weeks. The protective effects of pomegranate on serum sex hormones, oxidative markers, activities of antioxidant enzymes and histopathology of testes were determined in CCl4-induced reproductive toxicity in rats.ResultsPomegranate juice showed significant elevation in testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) those depleted by the injection of CCl4. Activity levels of endogenous testesticular antioxidant enzymes; superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione (GSH) contents were increased while lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO) were decreased with pomegranate juice. Moreover, degeneration of germ and Leydig cells along with deformities in spermatogenesis induced after CCl4 injections were restored with the treatment of pomegranate juice.ConclusionThe results clearly demonstrated that pomegranate juice augments the antioxidant defense mechanism against carbon tetrachloride-induced reproductive toxicity and provides evidence that it may have a therapeutic role in free radical mediated diseases.
Highlights
Pomegranate fruit has been extensively used as a natural medicine in many cultures
HPLC-ESI-MS results The phytochemical fingerprint of pomegranate juice was determined using a electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS)
HPLC-MS technique is an important method used for identifying complex mixtures, especially the phenolics or its fraction found in the plant, either by using standard compounds or by comparing mass spectrum obtained with literatures
Summary
The present study was aimed at evaluating the protective effects of pomegranate (Punica granatum) juice against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced oxidative stress and testes injury in adult Wistar rats. An increase in oxidative damage to sperm membranes, proteins and DNA is Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4), an industrial solvent, is an extensively used xenobiotic to induce chemical liver injury. CCl4 is metabolized by hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 to trichloromethyl free radical. Over production of trichloromethyl free radicals initiate a membrane lipid peroxidation, eventually leading to various pathological changes [4]. Studies using antioxidants indicate the role of oxidative stress in CCl4-induced testes injury [5]. Some studies have revealed that natural products, containing antioxidant, protect the testes against lipid peroxidation and impairment in antioxidant status induced by CCl4 [3,4]
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