Concerns with Male Infertility Induced by Exposure to Titanium Nanoparticles and the Supporting Impact of Pelargonium graveolens Essential Oil: Morphometric Records in Male-Wistar Rats

Ahmed Abdou Said; Yasmin Nasr; Azza A A Galal; Ahmed E Abdelhamid; Haiam A Mohamed; Mohamed M M Metwally; Mahmoud A Said; Mohamed A Nassan; Naief Dahran; Amany Abdel-Rahman Mohamed

doi:10.3390/life12050639

Concerns with Male Infertility Induced by Exposure to Titanium Nanoparticles and the Supporting Impact of Pelargonium graveolens Essential Oil: Morphometric Records in Male-Wistar Rats

Life (Basel). 2022 Apr 26;12(5):639. doi: 10.3390/life12050639.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt.
² Polymers & Pigments Department, National Research Centre, 33 EL Buhouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt.
³ Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt.
⁵ Medical Finance Department, Zagazig University Hospital, Zagazig 44519, Egypt.
⁶ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Turabah University College, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099, Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21959, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Due to the increased use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO₂ NPs), the risks of their reprotoxic effect arise. This study anticipated examining the potential protective effects of GEO (geranium essential oil) components screened via GC/MS analysis against the reprotoxic impacts of TiO₂ NPs on male rats. Methods: Thirty-two adult male rats were randomly assigned to four groups: control, GEO (75 mg/kg bwt/orally/day/60 days), TiO₂ NPs (100 ppm/rat/IP/day/60 days), and TiO₂ NPs + GEO. After 60 days, hormonal assay, semen appraisal, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzymes, testis and prostate morphometry, and the steroidogenesis-related genes' mRNA expressions were assessed. Results: The TEM and DLS results demonstrated that synthesized TiO₂ NPs are spherical with minimal aggregations polydispersed and varying in size from 50 to 100 nm. TiO₂ NPs IP injection-induced sperm abnormalities decreased the percent of motile sperms in the sperm count, reduced sex hormone levels, altered the testicular oxidant/antioxidant status and mRNA expression of steroid-related genes, and induced architectural alterations in testicular, epididymal, and prostate gland tissues. GEO significantly rescued the TiO₂ NPs-altered spermiogram, sex hormones, and antioxidant capacity, restored the tissue architectures, and enhanced steroidogenesis-related gene mRNA expression. Conclusions: These findings may significantly contribute to developing combinatorial treatments for infertility associated with various environmental and industrial xenobiotic exposures.

Keywords: CYP17A1; DLS; TEM; morphometry; oxidative stress; rose-scented geranium; sex hormones; steroidogenesis; testicular tissue; titanium nanoparticles.