Combined beneficial effect of vitamin c and zinc in lead induced testicular damage of rats

Abstract EN

Objective : To evaluate the protective / ameliorative effects of combined administration of vitamin C and zinc on lead induced testicular toxicity in rats.

Material and Methods : Male adult rats of Sprague-Dawley strain were assigned to five groups, eight rats in each ; lead treated group (given 50 mg / kg body weight / day of lead acetate), lead and vitamin C treated group (50 mg / kg body weight' day of lead acetate and 100 mg / kg body weight / day of vitamin C), lead and zinc treated group (50 mg / kg body weight/ day of lead acetate along with 1 mg/kg body weight/ day of zinc sulphate), lead and vitamin C and zinc treated group (50 mg / kg body weight / day of lead acetate along with 100 mg / kg body weight / day of vitamin C and 1 mg / kg body weight / day of zinc sulphate) and control group.

After eight weeks of treatment, the rats were weighed and sacrificed where left testis weights were recorded and the relative testis weights were calculated.

The right testes were processed for routine paraffin embedding and staining.

Tissue sections were examined for different morpliometric and histopathological changes of the testis.

Results : Lead administration resulted in harmful effects in the body, and testis weight and various examined morpliometric parameters of the testis.

Also, it produced varying degrees of damage to the somniferous tubules, which were shrunken and devoid of mature spermatids.

The basement membrane was disorganized with vacuolization and loss of germinal cells.

With vitamin C or zinc eo-administration, there was incomplete improvement in the morpliometric and histopathological changes of the somniferous tubules, however, combined administration of both vitamin C and zinc along with lead completely recovered all testicular changes.

Conclusion : Neither vitamin C nor zinc treatment under this study conditions can completely protect the testis against lead-induced toxicity; but combination of both elements was successful in reversing almost completely all morphonietric and histological parameters of this damage.

Further studies investigating biochemical and hormonal parameters using various doses of vitamin C and zinc will be required to elucidate the precise nature of the interaction between vitamin C and zinc as a protective combination in lead toxicity.