Akaahan Daniel Itiza, Agu Augustine Uche, Anyanwu Nkemjika Chinyere, Orjiako Vivian Onyinye, Anyanwu Godson Emeka
Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria.
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Kampala International University, Uganda.
Toxicol Rep. 2025 Aug 15;15:102113. doi: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2025.102113. eCollection 2025 Dec.
Methylparaben is a commonly used preservative in the cosmetics, pharmaceutical, and food industries, valued for its antibacterial and antifungal effects. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have investigated its adverse effects on sperm count, testosterone levels, and reproductive organ weight. Baicalin, which comes from the dried roots of the plant Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi, is a natural compound that may have various health benefits, such as reducing fibrosis, itching, bacteria, oxidative stress, inflammation, and cancer. This study investigated the effect of baicalin on the changes in male reproductive hormones and enzyme activity brought about by methylparaben.
A total of forty-five adult male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into nine distinct groups, each comprising five rats. Over a period of 28 days, these subjects were administered treatments via gastric gavage, which included distilled water, peanut oil, methylparaben, or differing doses of baicalin, either in isolation or in conjunction with methylparaben. Post-treatment, blood samples were obtained under terminal anesthesia for the purpose of serum analysis. Assays for hormonal levels (FSH, LH, testosterone) and enzymatic activity (17β-HSD3) were performed utilising ELISA and spectrophotometric techniques in accordance with established protocols.
Rats treated with methylparaben (Group 3) had much lower levels of FSH, LH, testosterone, and 17β-HSD compared to the other groups, and baicalin was able to reduce these effects in a dose-dependent manner. Higher baicalin doses restored hormone and enzyme levels to near-control values levels indicating its protective benefits.
The results indicate that baicalin could mitigate the reproductive toxicity induced by methylparaben, owing to its antioxidant and regulatory characteristics, highlighting its potential as a protective agent against endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
对羟基苯甲酸甲酯是化妆品、制药和食品工业中常用的防腐剂，因其抗菌和抗真菌作用而受到重视。大量的体外和体内研究调查了其对精子数量、睾酮水平和生殖器官重量的不良影响。黄芩苷来源于黄芩干燥根，是一种天然化合物，可能具有多种健康益处，如减少纤维化、瘙痒、细菌、氧化应激、炎症和癌症。本研究调查了黄芩苷对由对羟基苯甲酸甲酯引起的雄性生殖激素变化和酶活性的影响。
总共45只成年雄性Wistar大鼠被随机分为9个不同的组，每组5只大鼠。在28天的时间里，通过灌胃给予这些实验对象不同的处理，包括蒸馏水、花生油、对羟基苯甲酸甲酯，或不同剂量的黄芩苷，单独使用或与对羟基苯甲酸甲酯联合使用。处理后，在终末麻醉下采集血样用于血清分析。根据既定方案，使用酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）和分光光度技术进行激素水平（促卵泡生成素、促黄体生成素、睾酮）和酶活性（17β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶3）的检测。
与其他组相比，用对羟基苯甲酸甲酯处理的大鼠（第3组）的促卵泡生成素、促黄体生成素、睾酮和17β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶水平要低得多，黄芩苷能够以剂量依赖的方式减轻这些影响。较高剂量的黄芩苷将激素和酶水平恢复到接近对照组的值，表明其具有保护作用。
结果表明，黄芩苷可以减轻对羟基苯甲酸甲酯诱导的生殖毒性，这归因于其抗氧化和调节特性，突出了其作为抗内分泌干扰化学物质保护剂的潜力。
