The Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Impacts of Purple and White Eggplants on Fertility and Expression of Fertility-Related Genes in Rats Treated With Aluminum Chloride.

The environmental xenobiotic aluminum chloride (AlCl) destroys reproduction via free radicals. The present study aimed at evaluating the impact of purple and white eggplant on rat fertility when exposed to AlCl. A total of 36 male albino rats were divided into six groups: a negative control, the second given AlCl (17 mg/kg b.w.) for 28 days, the third and fourth given a basal diet with 5% and 10% white eggplant powder, and the fifth and sixth given a basal diet with 5% and 10% purple eggplant powder. AlCl reduced follicular-stimulating hormone (FSH), plasma testosterone, sperm count, motility, and viability, luteinizing hormone (LH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) activities. On the contrary, malondialdehyde (MDA) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) disclosed considerable increases. Besides, reproductive hormones, antioxidant enzymes, and sperm quality were significantly enhanced in the treated groups with eggplants. A downregulation in the expression of and was detected, and normal expression was restored after treatment with high dose from eggplant (10%) without significant differences, whereas genes continued in their down expression and measured decrease up to 60% in and 40% in in their mRNA levels after treatment with high dosage from eggplant, respectively. Alternatively, rats treated with eggplant at high dose (10%) gained more body weight (33%) and much bigger testicles (1.30 ± 0.05 g) when compared to AlCl-treated rats (gained only 16% more body weight and 1.04 ± 0.06 g testis weight) after 28 days, subsequently, the eggplant reduced the side effect of AlCl3-induced toxicity. AlCl induced broad cytotoxic effects in seminiferous tubules, and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of eggplant minimized the histological alteration in rat testes.