Thymoquinone ameliorates acrylamide-induced reproductive toxicity in female rats: An experimental study

Maryam Al-Ghamdi; Etimad Huwait; Nagwa Elsawi; Soad Shaker Ali; Ahmed Sayed

doi:10.18502/ijrm.v21i1.12668

Thymoquinone ameliorates acrylamide-induced reproductive toxicity in female rats: An experimental study

Int J Reprod Biomed. 2023 Feb 8;21(1):61-70. doi: 10.18502/ijrm.v21i1.12668. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Authors

Maryam Al-Ghamdi^{1

2

3}, Etimad Huwait^{1

2}, Nagwa Elsawi⁴, Soad Shaker Ali⁵, Ahmed Sayed⁶

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
² Experimental Biochemistry Unit, King Fahad Medical Research Centre, King AbdulAziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Vitamin D Pharmacogenomics Research Group, King AbdulAziz University, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Chemistry, Lab Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.
⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Merit University, Sohag, Egypt.
⁶ Biochemistry Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Chemistry Department, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.

Abstract

Background: Acrylamide (AA) is a carcinogenic compound that causes severe reproductive impairments and represents a high environmental risk factor. Thymoquinone (TQ) has a unique antioxidant activity and has been widely used as a protective agent against various types of toxicity.

Objective: To evaluate the protective effects of TQ against AA-induced reproductive toxicity in female rats.

Materials and methods: In this experimental study, 40 female albino rats (120-150 gr, 8-10 wk) were sorted into 4 groups, (n = 10/each), vehicle group (received a daily oral administration of 0.5 ml saline [9%]); AA group (received a daily oral administration with freshly prepared AA, 20 mg/kg body weight) for 21 days which is less than the lethal dose LD $_{50}$ of AA in rats (20 mg/kg body weight); AA+TQ group (received a daily oral administration of TQ, 10 mg/kg body weight) after AA intoxication for 21 days, and TQ group (received a daily oral administration of TQ only, 10 mg/kg body weight) for 21 consecutive days. Reproductive hormones, carcinogenic biomarkers, and oxidative stress markers were measured. The histological assessment showed the protective effect of TQ against AA-induced ovarian injury. Network pharmacology analysis and molecular docking approach were carried out to determine the binding affinity of TQ with cyclooxygenase 2.

Results: TQ administration significantly enhanced the functional capacity of the ovary at hormones, oxidative biomarkers, and tumor markers at a significant level of p $<$ 0.001. Besides, TQ protects the ovary of AA-treated rats from the severe degeneration effect.

Conclusion: TQ showed a promising protective effect against AA-induced reproductive toxicity in female rats.

Keywords: Cyclooxygenase 2; Inflammation.; Oxidative stress; Rats; Thymoquinone; Acrylamide.