1Biomedical Sciences Department Division of Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
2Department of Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt
3Biomedical Sciences Department Division of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
4Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt
5Biomedical Sciences Department Division of Histopathology, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
Online published on 5 May, 2018.
Arsenic exposure causes testicular injury through oxidative and nitrative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. Baicalin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic activities. The aim of this work was to investigate the possible testicular protection of baicalin in rats intoxicated by arsenic. Sodium arsenite was given at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 2 days. Baicalin (10 mg/kg/day) was administered for 7 days. Administration started 5 days before the arsenite insult. It was revealed that Baicalin significantly decrease elevations of testicular malondialdehyde, tumor necrosis factor-α, nuclear factor-κB p65 unit, and inducible nitric oxide synthase caused by arsenic. Baicalin ameliorated arsenic-induced reductions of serum testosterone, and testicular superoxide dismutase and reduced glutathione. Moreover, baicalin attenuated the pathological changes, and reduced caspase-3 expression in arsenic-exposed rat testes.
In conclusion, Arsenic-induced testicular toxicity was significantly reduced by using baicalin that antagonizes inflammation, oxidative/nitrosative stress as well as the process of apoptosis.
Arsenic, baicalin, testes, rats
