The Effect of Lead Acetate-Induced Oxidative Toxicity on Testicular Tissue in Male Rats, and the Protective Role of dried Apricot Fruit Extract and DHEA Treatment

Abstract

This research was designed to determine the protective role of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dried apricot fruit extract in reducing the toxicity of lead acetate to male fertility. The study lasted for 35 consecutive days and included 35 male Sprague Dawley albino rats, aged between 6 and 7 months and weighing between 190 and 220 grams. The mice were divided into 7 groups, each group containing 5 rats. The study also showed a decrease in the concentration of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), and testosterone, sperm-stimulating hormone (SSH), and interstitial cell-stimulating hormone (ICSH) as a result of lead acetate treatment. Furthermore, the study indicated that lead acetate treatment led to histological changes in the testis, including damage to the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubule, damage to the interstitial tissue, degeneration and atrophy of Leydig cells, and a decrease in sperm production. The results showed that treating rats with dried apricot fruit extract and DHEA treatment led to an increase in the activity of antioxidants (SOD, GPx , CAT) and a decrease in oxidative stress products OHdG-8 compared to the oxidative stress group, and a significant improvement in testosterone, ICSH, and SSH levels. With the observation of mature sperm in the seminiferous tubule lumen, Leydig cells in the interstitial tissue appeared to maintain their normal shape and structure, and spermatogenesis showed marked improvement, with a higher percentage of sperm and a greater number of sperm with straight, normal tails, With greater regularity in tail length and clearer connection between head and tail in most sperm.