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Rutin, an antioxidant flavonoid, induces glutathione and glutathione peroxidase activities to protect against ethanol effects in cadmium‐induced oxidative stress in the testis of adult rats
Author(s) -
Abarikwu S. O.,
Olufemi P. D.,
Lawrence C. J.,
Wekere F. C.,
Ochulor A. C.,
Barikuma A. M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
andrologia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.633
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1439-0272
pISSN - 0303-4569
DOI - 10.1111/and.12696
Subject(s) - glutathione , rutin , oxidative stress , glutathione peroxidase , chemistry , antioxidant , superoxide dismutase , lipid peroxidation , pharmacology , endocrinology , biochemistry , medicine , biology , enzyme
Summary Exposure to cadmium (Cd) reduces sperm quality and induces oxidative stress in the testis. Rutin is an effective antioxidant flavonoid. We studied the effect of ethanol (Et OH , 5 g/kg b.wt.) intake on Cd (50 mg/kg b.wt.)‐induced testicular toxicity with or without RUT pre‐treatment (25, 50, 100 mg/kg b.wt.) in rats. At the end of the 15‐day oral treatment, co‐treatment with Et OH decreased the activities of glutathione ( GSH ), GSH ‐peroxidase and superoxide dismutase resulting to slight increase in the testicular MDA level compared to Cd‐treated rats. The Cd+Et OH animals had higher levels of abnormal spermatozoa, decreased epididymal sperm number and serum testosterone levels ( p < .05) compared to the Cd‐treated animals. Rutin co‐administration protected against the Et OH effects in a dose‐dependent manner, with the Cd+Et OH +50 mg/kg RUT ‐ and Cd+Et OH +100 mg/kg RUT ‐treated animals having higher GSH and GSH ‐Px activities beyond the control values ( p < .05). In a supplementary study, animals treated daily with RUT alone (25, 50, 100 mg/kg b.wt.) for 15 days dose‐dependently increased testicular GSH ‐peroxidase and GSH activities by 9.38%, 31.25%, 56.25% and 7.14%, 32.14%, 60.71%, respectively, compared to control values. Therefore, RUT induces GSH and GSH ‐Px activities to protect against Cd+Et OH ‐induced testis oxidative stress in rats.