Oyewopo Adeoye, Adeleke Opeyemi, Johnson Olawumi, Akingbade Adebanji
Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria.
Department of Anatomy, College of Health Sciences, Osun State University, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
Heliyon. 2021 May 6;7(5):e06901. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06901. eCollection 2021 May.
Cyanide is among the ubiquitous chemicals that humans are usually exposed to and it is well documented that cyanide induces infertility in humans and experimental rodents. However, the pathogenesis remains unknown. Likewise, quercetin is an important nutraceutical that detoxifies reactive oxygen species, but its effects on testicular damage is not clear. The present study investigated the role of nutraceutical, quercetin on cyanide-induced testicular toxicity and probable involvement of cAMP-response-element modulator (CREM) which is a transcription factor necessary for the process of spermatogenesis. Thus, this work hypothesized that quercetin will mitigate endocrine dysfunction induced by cyanide. Seventy-two adult male Wistar rats were divided into seven groups (A to G). Groups A, B, C, F and G comprised of eight (8) rats per group while groups D and E comprised of sixteen (16) rats per group. Group A was designated as control while Groups B and C were given 0.5 and 1 mg/kg of cyanide respectively for 56 days. Group D and E received 0.5 and 1 mg/kg body weight cyanide respectively for 30 days. At day 30, eight animals were sacrificed from Group D and E and the remaining eight (8) rats were subdivided into sub-groups (D1 and E1) and were given 20 and 40 mg/kg of quercetin respectively for twenty-six (26) days. Group F and G were given concurrent administration of cyanide and quercetin at a dose of 0.5 + 20 mg/kg and 1 + 40 mg/kg respectively for 56 days. Body and testicular weight were significantly reduced in cyanide treated groups while quercetin modulates the reduction. Significant down-regulation of CREM gene and reduction in serum level of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), Luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and zinc in cyanide-treated groups, whereas administration of quercetin concomitantly with cyanide exposure or post-treated significantly reversed the alterations.
氰化物是人类通常会接触到的普遍存在的化学物质之一，有充分的文献记载表明，氰化物会导致人类和实验啮齿动物不育。然而，其发病机制仍然未知。同样，槲皮素是一种重要的营养保健品，可清除活性氧，但它对睾丸损伤的影响尚不清楚。本研究调查了营养保健品槲皮素在氰化物诱导的睾丸毒性中的作用，以及环磷酸腺苷反应元件调节剂（CREM）（精子发生过程中必需的一种转录因子）可能的参与情况。因此，这项研究假设槲皮素将减轻氰化物诱导的内分泌功能障碍。72只成年雄性Wistar大鼠被分为七组（A至G）。A、B、C、F和G组每组有8只大鼠，而D组和E组每组有16只大鼠。A组被指定为对照组，B组和C组分别给予0.5和1mg/kg的氰化物，持续56天。D组和E组分别接受0.5和1mg/kg体重的氰化物，持续30天。在第30天，从D组和E组中处死8只动物，其余8只大鼠被细分为亚组（D1和E1），并分别给予20和40mg/kg的槲皮素，持续26天。F组和G组分别以0.5 + 20mg/kg和1 + 40mg/kg的剂量同时给予氰化物和槲皮素，持续56天。氰化物处理组的体重和睾丸重量显著降低，而槲皮素可调节这种降低。氰化物处理组中CREM基因显著下调，血清促卵泡激素（FSH）、黄体生成素（LH）、睾酮、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GPx）和锌水平降低，而在氰化物暴露的同时或之后给予槲皮素可显著逆转这些改变。
