Physiological Roles of Red Carrot Methanolic Extract and Vitamin E to Abrogate Cadmium-Induced Oxidative Challenge and Apoptosis in Rat Testes: Involvement of the Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio

Ahmed Abdel-Wahab; Kamel M A Hassanin; Ahmed A Mahmoud; Walaa I E Abdel-Badeea; Abdel-Razik H Abdel-Razik; Eman Zekry Attia; Usama Ramadan Abdelmohsen; Rabie L Abdel Aziz; Agnieszka Najda; Ibtesam S Alanazi; Khalaf F Alsharif; Mohamed M Abdel-Daim; Mohamed O Mahmoud

doi:10.3390/antiox10111653

Physiological Roles of Red Carrot Methanolic Extract and Vitamin E to Abrogate Cadmium-Induced Oxidative Challenge and Apoptosis in Rat Testes: Involvement of the Bax/Bcl-2 Ratio

Antioxidants (Basel). 2021 Oct 21;10(11):1653. doi: 10.3390/antiox10111653.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Physiology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt.
² Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt.
³ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Sciences, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt.
⁴ Histology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62511, Egypt.
⁵ Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Minia University, Minia 61519, Egypt.
⁶ Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Deraya University, Universities Zone, New Minia City 61111, Egypt.
⁷ Theriogenology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62512, Egypt.
⁸ Department of Vegetable Crops and Medicinal Plants, University of Life Sciences in Lublin 50A Doświadczalna Street, 20-280 Lublin, Poland.
⁹ Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Hafr Al Batin, Hafr Al Batin 39524, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁰ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pharmacy Program, Batterjee Medical College, P.O. Box 6231, Jeddah 21442, Saudi Arabia.
¹² Pharmacology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Suez Canal University, Ismailia 41522, Egypt.
¹³ Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef 62514, Egypt.

Abstract

The precise analysis of the contents of the red carrot is still ambiguous and its role in the maintenance of male fertility needs to be further reconnoitered. Hence, this study targets the physiological impacts of either red carrot methanolic extract (RCME) or vitamin E (Vit. E), co-administrated with cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) on rat testes, specifically those concerned with apoptosis and oxidative challenge. Four groups of adult male rats (n = 12) are used; control, CdCl₂, CdCl₂ + Vit. E and CdCl₂ + RCME. LC-MS analysis of RCME reveals the presence of 20 different phytochemical compounds. Our data clarify the deleterious effects of CdCl₂ on testicular weights, semen quality, serum hormonal profile, oxidative markers and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Histopathological changes in testicular, prostatic and semen vesicle glandular tissues are also observed. Interestingly, our data clearly demonstrate that co-administration of either RCME or Vit. E with CdCl₂ significantly succeeded in the modulation (p < 0.05) of all of these negative effects. The most striking is that they were potent enough to modulate the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio as well as having the ability to correct the impaired semen picture, oxidant status and hormonal profile. Thus, RCME and Vit. E could be used as effective prophylactic treatments to protect the male reproductive physiology against CdCl₂ insult.

Keywords: Bax/Bcl-2 ratio; Vitamin E; cadmium chloride; oxidative stress; red carrot methanolic extract.