Zingiber officinale ethanolic extract attenuates oxidative stress, steroidogenic gene expression alterations, and testicular histopathology induced by sodium arsenite in male rats

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 28; no. 16; pp. 19783 - 19798
• Main Authors: Seif, Mohamed, Abd El-Aziz, Tamer, Sayed, Mohamed, Wang, Zaizhao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.04.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidants; Antioxidants - metabolism; Aquatic Pollution; Arsenates; Arsenic; Arsenite; Arsenites; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Chemical pollutants; Chemical pollution; Cholesterol; Disabilities; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Flavonoids; Food chains; Gene Expression; Ginger; Histopathology; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism; Male; Males; Oxidative Stress; Parameters; Phenolic compounds; Phenols; Plant Extracts - metabolism; Pollutants; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Research Article; Rodents; Sodium; Sodium arsenate; Sodium arsenite; Sodium Compounds; Sperm; Testes; Testis - metabolism; Testosterone; Testosterone - metabolism; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Zingiber officinale; Oxidative stress; Histopathology; Arsenic; Steroidogenic genes; qPCR; Ginger; Protection
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-11509-1

Arsenic (As) indelibly exists in the environment and may reach to a food chain. Flavors and herbs are recognized sources of natural antioxidants that play imperative against harmful chemical pollutants. Ginger is utilized around the world as a zesty condiment. This study assessed the ability of ginger extract (GE) as a protector to improve regenerative disabilities initiated by sodium arsenate in reproductive functions in male rats. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley male rats weighted 240 ± 10 g were arbitrarily relegated into four experimental groups ( n = 8): the control group; the GE-treated group received at 100 mg/kg BW; the As-treated group received sodium arsenite at 10 mg/kg BW; the fourth group received sodium arsenite additionally GE at mentioned doses for 4 weeks. Phytochemical results of GE revealed that GE had good antioxidative characteristics and high content of total flavonoid, tannins, alkaloids, and total phenolic components. Simultaneously, treatment of GE showed protection against oxidative stress induced by As and restoration of the serum cholesterol, testosterone, LH, and sperm parameter to normal levels. GE significantly improved the antioxidant activities (GSH, SOD, and CAT) as well as H 2 O 2 and MDA in rats received concurrently the GE and As compared with control group. Moreover, the expression of genes controlling the cholesterol transportation and testosterone synthesis (SR-B1, StAR, CYP11A1, 3b-HSD, 17b-HSD, and CYP17a) as well as LHR showed a meaningful improvement in rats treated by GE plus As compared with their expression in the As-treated group. Besides, GE treatment exhibited significant recovered testis histopathological alterations, reduced the arsenic content in testes, and improved the sperm parameters.