Department of Histology and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tripoli, Tripoli 13203, Libya.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Tripoli, Tripoli 50676, Libya.
Comb Chem High Throughput Screen. 2023;26(2):301-312. doi: 10.2174/1386207325666220514135606.
BACKGROUND & AIM: Significant evidence indicates that endocrine disrupted bisphenol A (BPA) seriously endangers human health. In males, BPA affects testis architecture and sperm quality, and ultimately reduces fertility. This study explored the therapeutic potential of Nigella sativa (NS) seed extract on testis and sperm abnormalities in BPA-exposed mice and characterized the underlying mechanism.
Forty male Swiss albino mice (5.5 weeks old, N = 8 per group) were randomly divided into five groups: Group I, normal control, Group II, vehicle control (sterile corn oil); Group III, NS-exposed (oral 200 mg/kg); Group IV, BPA-exposed (oral 400 μg/kg body weight); Group V, BPA + NS-exposed mice. Animals were treated for 6 weeks and sacrificed for biochemical and histological examination.
The results indicated that BPA exposure results in significant testis and sperm abnormalities. Specifically, BPA promoted a marked reduction in the body and testis compared with the control group. Histopathological findings showed that BPA caused a widespread degeneration of spermatogenic cells of the seminiferous epithelium, decreased sperm counts and motility, and augmented sperm abnormalities, and whereas little alteration to sperm DNA was observed. In addition, BPA increased the levels of the lipid peroxidation marker, malondialdehyde (MDA), and reduced the levels of the antioxidant marker, reducing glutathione (GSH). Treatment with NS oil extract during BPA exposure significantly alleviated testis and sperm abnormalities, reduced MDA levels, and enhanced GSH levels.
The results demonstrate that NS oil protects mice against BPA-induced sperm and testis abnormalities, likely by suppressing levels of the oxidative stress marker, MDA, and enhancing the levels of the antioxidant marker, GSH.
大量证据表明，内分泌干扰物双酚 A（BPA）严重危害人类健康。在男性中，BPA 会影响睾丸结构和精子质量，最终降低生育能力。本研究探讨了黑种草（NS）籽油提取物对 BPA 暴露小鼠睾丸和精子异常的治疗潜力，并对其潜在机制进行了研究。
将 40 只雄性瑞士白化病小鼠（5.5 周龄，每组 8 只）随机分为五组：I 组，正常对照组；II 组，溶剂对照组（无菌玉米油）；III 组，NS 暴露组（口服 200mg/kg）；IV 组，BPA 暴露组（口服 400μg/kg 体重）；V 组，BPA+NS 暴露组。动物接受治疗 6 周后处死，进行生化和组织学检查。
结果表明，BPA 暴露会导致明显的睾丸和精子异常。具体来说，BPA 暴露导致与对照组相比，体重和睾丸显著减轻。组织病理学发现，BPA 导致生精小管上皮的精子发生细胞广泛退化，精子计数和活力降低，精子畸形增加，而精子 DNA 几乎没有变化。此外，BPA 增加了脂质过氧化标志物丙二醛（MDA）的水平，降低了抗氧化标志物还原型谷胱甘肽（GSH）的水平。在 BPA 暴露期间用 NS 油提取物进行治疗可显著缓解睾丸和精子异常，降低 MDA 水平，并增强 GSH 水平。
结果表明，NS 油可保护小鼠免受 BPA 诱导的精子和睾丸异常，可能是通过抑制氧化应激标志物 MDA 的水平和增强抗氧化标志物 GSH 的水平。
