Histological and physiological studies to evaluate the protective effect of honey on paracetamol induced testicular lesions in adult male rats

Abstract EN

Paracetamol is one of the commonly used analgesics and antipyretics, however paracetamol related lesions were observed in the liver, kidney and reproductive organs (testis and ovary).

Honey is one of the known medicine that has been found to have a significant antioxidant content, so, it acts as a free radical scavenger.

The purpose of this study is a trial to evaluate the protective effect of honey on the testicular lesions induced by paracetamol.

Study design: Thirty adult male albino rats, weight (200-250 gm) were used in this experiment.

The animals were divided into three groups (I, II & III).

Group I: was kept as control.

Group II: was treated by paracetamol once daily for one month by oral route in a dose of 800 mg/kg.

Group III: treated with honey in a dose of2.5gm /kg once daily for one month concomitant with paracetamol.

Blood samples were taken for determination of testosterone, lipid peroxide and total glutathione.

The animals then sacrificed and specimens were taken from the testes and processed for light and electron microscopic examination.

Tissue homogenate was taken for determination of lipid peroxide and total glutathione.

In paracetamol treated animals (Group II) showed some altered semniferous tubules as well as few degenerated tubules.

Within the tubules, multiple vacuoles were present between the germ cells as well as inside their cytoplasm specially in the spermatids, also some of the spermatids showed well developed golgi complex as well as mitochondrial changes and multinucleated giant cells.

Some of the tubules showed folded irregularly outlined basement membrane.Some leydig cells appeared dark, degenerated while others showed dilated smooth endoplasmic reticulum.

The same animal, showed that paracetamol treatment caused a significant reduction in serum testosterone level.

Also, paracetamol induced increase in the level of free radical (lipid peroxide) and decreased level of antioxidant (total glutathione) both in serum and testicular tissue.

Honey treated animals, concomitant with paracetamol (Group III) showed a reduction in the number of altered and /or degenerated tubules with reduction in the degenerative changes in germ cells.Few degenerated leydig cells could be detected.

The same animals, showed significant elevation of serum testosterone level as well as a decrease in lipid peroxide and an increase in total glutathione (in serum and testicular tissue).

The protective effect of honey on paracetamol induced testicular lesions was incomplete and exerted mainly through a decrease of free radicals and increase in the antioxidant level.