Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt.
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology-PhD, 2018, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2023 Nov;201(11):5321-5334. doi: 10.1007/s12011-023-03605-3. Epub 2023 Mar 6.
Lactoferrin (LCF), a potent naturally occurring antioxidant, is a crucial component in preventing potassium dichromate (PDC) toxicity. The goal of the current work was to study the potential efficacy of LCF in preventing PDC(CrVI)-induced testicular toxicity and oxidative injury in rats. Six groups of male rats of Wistar stain were randomly categorized into: group 1, which served as the control; group 2 and 3 received LCF (200 and 300 mg/kg orally, respectively); group 4 received PDC (2 mg/kg i.p.); group 5 and 6 pretreated with LCF, followed by PDC as in group 4 with 90 min apart for 28 days. PDC-intoxicated rats showed a significantly altered spermogram with abnormal sperm morphology. PDC significantly upregulated serum FSH and downregulated testosterone levels. Additionally, PDC decreased the levels of testicular key antioxidant biomarkers (catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH)) with elevated lipid peroxidation marker (TBARS) and testicular chromium content. Moreover, it upregulated testicular proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α, induced histopathological changes in testes with significant immunohistochemical expression of FasL and moderate expression of Nrf2. Pretreatment with LCF significantly mitigated PDC-induced testicular toxicity by enhancing spermogram, improving hormonal levels, restoring testicular oxidant/antioxidant balance, and decreasing testicular IL-1, IL6, IL-10, and TNFα levels, and amending both FasL and Nrf2 immunohistochemical-expression. Additionally, LCF improved testicular histopathological picture and spermatogenesis. Our results highlight the importance of LCF as a superior protective modulator of PDC-induced testicular injury.
乳铁蛋白（LCF）是一种有效的天然抗氧化剂，是预防重铬酸钾（PDC）毒性的关键组成部分。本研究旨在探讨 LCF 预防 PDC（CrVI）诱导的大鼠睾丸毒性和氧化损伤的潜在疗效。雄性 Wistar 大鼠 6 组，随机分为：第 1 组为对照组；第 2 组和第 3 组分别给予 LCF（200 和 300mg/kg 口服）；第 4 组腹腔注射 PDC（2mg/kg）；第 5 组和第 6 组预先给予 LCF，90 分钟后给予 PDC，共 28 天。PDC 中毒大鼠的精子形态明显异常。PDC 显著上调血清 FSH 水平，下调睾酮水平。此外，PDC 降低了睾丸关键抗氧化生物标志物（过氧化氢酶（CAT）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）和谷胱甘肽（GSH））的水平，增加了脂质过氧化标志物（TBARS）和睾丸铬含量。此外，它还上调了睾丸促炎细胞因子 IL-1、IL-6、IL-10 和 TNF-α，导致睾丸组织病理学变化，并在 FasL 表达显著增加和 Nrf2 中度表达的情况下进行免疫组化。LCF 预处理可通过提高精子形态、改善激素水平、恢复睾丸氧化应激/抗氧化平衡、降低睾丸 IL-1、IL-6、IL-10 和 TNF-α 水平、调节 FasL 和 Nrf2 免疫组化表达，显著减轻 PDC 诱导的睾丸毒性。此外，LCF 改善了睾丸组织病理学图片和精子发生。我们的结果强调了 LCF 作为 PDC 诱导的睾丸损伤的一种优越保护调节剂的重要性。
