Mitigating effect of pomegranate peel extract against the furan induced testicular injury by apoptosis, steroidogenic enzymes and oxidative stress

Waseem Ali; Uzma Khatyan; Jian Sun; Abdulrahman Alasmari; Mohammad Y Alshahrani; Izhar Hyder Qazi; Tao Wang; Zongping Liu; Hui Zou

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142086

Mitigating effect of pomegranate peel extract against the furan induced testicular injury by apoptosis, steroidogenic enzymes and oxidative stress

Chemosphere. 2024 Apr 24:358:142086. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142086. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Waseem Ali¹, Uzma Khatyan², Jian Sun³, Abdulrahman Alasmari⁴, Mohammad Y Alshahrani⁵, Izhar Hyder Qazi², Tao Wang³, Zongping Liu⁶, Hui Zou⁷

Affiliations

¹ College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan.
² Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Pakistan.
³ College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China.
⁴ Biology Department, faculty of Science, University of Tabuk, Tabuk Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Khalid University, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China. Electronic address: liuzongping@yzu.edu.cn.
⁷ College of Veterinary Medicine, Yangzhou University Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Joint International Research Laboratory of Agriculture and Agri-Product Safety of the Ministry of Education of China, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China; Jiangsu Co-innovation Center for Prevention and Control of Important Animal Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Yangzhou, Jiangsu 225009, China. Electronic address: zouhui@yzu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38670510
DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2024.142086

Abstract

Furan is generated in a wide array of heat-treated foods through thermal degradation, leading to severe impairments in the male reproductive system. The main objective of this study was to investigate the potential of pomegranate peel extract (PGPE) in mitigating testicular dysfunctions induced by furan. Male rats were categorized into four groups: control/untreated, PGPE, furan, and PGPE + furan group. The study results revealed that furan-treated rats exhibited significantly elevated aminotransferase and phosphatase activity, and also generated increased oxidative stress, and reduced antioxidative stress protein activity. Additionally, protein content levels (ALT, AST, ALP, and ACP) and activities of steroidogenic Leydig cell hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD and 17β-HSD) enzymes were significantly decreased. Significant variations in testicular parameters, apoptotic genes (Bcl-2, P53, and Caspase3), inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL1β, IL10), male sex hormones follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, and sperm quality were also observed. Furthermore, testicular histological abnormalities were confirmed by biochemical and molecular modifications. Notably, PGPE pre-treated furan-intoxicated animals exhibited significant improvements in most of the assessed parameters compared to furan-treated groups. In conclusion, PGPE presents essential preventive measures and a novel pharmacological potential therapy against furan-induced testicular injury.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Furan; Inflammation; Oxidative stress; Pomegranate peel extract; Testicular injury.