Abstract:
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of quercetin on carbon tetrachloride
(CCl4)-induced sperm damages, testicular apoptosis and oxidative
stress in male rats. Group 1 served as control, group 2 was treated with only
quercetin, group 3 was treated with only CCl4 and group 4 received CCl4 +
quercetin. All administrations were performed by gavage and maintained for
10 weeks. CCl4 administration caused significant decreases in absolute and relative
reproductive organ weights, sperm motility, concentration and testicular
glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT) activities, and significant
increases in lipid peroxidation (LPO) level, abnormal sperm rate and testicular
apoptotic cell index, along with some histopathological damages when compared
to the control group. However, administration of CCl4 together with
quercetin provided statistically significant improvements in LPO level, abnormal
sperm rate, the degree of histopathological lesions and testicular apoptotic
cell index when compared to only CCl4 group. In addition, improvements
observed in absolute and relative weights of reproductive organs, sperm motility
and concentration, and testicular GSH-Px and CAT activities in group 4
were statistically insignificant when compared to only CCl4 group. In conclusion,
quercetin has antiperoxidative effect, and its oral administration attenuates
the CCl4-induced some damages in male reproductive organs and cells by
decreasing the LPO.
