Vitamin E ameliorates aflatoxin-induced biochemical changes in the testis of mice

AIM: To assess the effect of aflatoxin on biochemical changes in the testis of mice and the possibility of amelioration by vitamin E treatment. METHODS: Adult male albino mice were orally administered with 25 or 50 microg of aflatoxin/animal/day (750 or 1500 microg/kg body weight) for 45 days. The testis was isolated and processed for biochemical analysis. RESULTS: There was a significant, dose-dependent reduction in DNA, RNA, protein, sialic acid contents and the activities of succinic dehydrogenase, adenosine triphosphatase and alkaline phosphatase in the testis of aflatoxin-treated mice as compared to the vehicle control. However, the acid phosphatase activity was significantly increased in the aflatoxin-treated mice. Vitamin E (2 mg/animal/day) treatment significantly ameliorated the aflatoxin-induced changes, except the acid and alkaline phosphatase activities in the high dose group. CONCLUSION: Vitamin E treatment ameliorates the aflatoxin-induced changes in the testis of mice.