THE AMELIORATIVE EFFECT OF TOMATO JUICE ON THE FERTILITY OF HYPERTENSIVE MALE ALBINO RATS

Abstract

Red ripened tomatoes have a powerful antioxidant effects. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effect of tomato juice on the fertility as a one of the major complications of the hypertension in male albino rats. The present study investigated the effect of tomato juice, rich with lycopene on some biomarkers of male reproductive functions in hypertensive rats induced by N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Forty male rats divided into four groups, the first one served as a control, the 2ⁿ group received orally a daily dose of tomato juice (2ml/kg b.w) for 4 weeks, the 3rd group received a daily dose of L-NAME (80 mg/kg b.w.) and the 4th group received a daily dose of tomato juice and L-NAME as the 2ⁿ and 3rd groups. The data recorded a significant increase in systolic blood pressure as well as sperm abnormality, but a significant decrease in total testosterone, free testosterone, sperm count, and sperm viability in L-NAME treated rats group. Concomitantly, a significant decrease in the activities of enzymatic antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), in addition to the non-enzymatic antioxidant glutathione (GSH) concntration was recorded in the same group, while a significant increase in end product of lipid peroxidation malondaldehyde (MDA) was noticed. On the other hand, the most of these parameters seemed to be normalized by oral administration of tomato juice, which indicating the ameliorative effect of tomato juice against L-NAME induced hypertension in male rats.