Quercetin ameliorates polychlorinated biphenyls‐induced testicular DNA damage in rats |
| |
| Authors: | F L Lovato C R de Oliveira I A Adedara F Barbisan K L S Moreira M Dalberto M I U M da Rocha N P Marroni I B da Cruz I B Costabeber |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Departamento de Bioquímica e Biologia Molecular, CCNE, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil;2. Programa de Pós‐Gradua??o BioSaúde, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, RS, Brazil;3. Drug Metabolism and Toxicology Research Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria;4. Laboratório de Biogen?mica, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil;5. Laboratório de Morfofisiologia Experimental, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil;6. Laboratório de Hepatologia e Gastroenterologia Experimental, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil;7. Laboratório de Estresse Oxidativo e Antioxidantes, Universidade Luterana do Brasil, Canoas, RS, Brazil;8. Programa de Pós‐Gradua??o Fisiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil;9. Programa de Pós‐Gradua??o Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil;10. Laboratório de Poluentes Persistentes, Departamento de Morfologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil |
| |
| Abstract: | Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a group of environmental contaminants widely reported to cause gonadal toxicity in both humans and animals. This study investigated the amelioratory role of quercetin in PCBs‐induced DNA damage in male Wistar rats. Polychlorinated biphenyls were administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 2 mg kg?1 alone or in combination with quercetin (orally) at 50 mg kg?1 for 25 days. Quercetin modulation of PCBs‐induced gonadal toxicity was evaluated using selected oxidative stress indices, comet assay, measurement of DNA concentration and histology of the testes. Administration of PCBs alone caused a significant (P < 0.05) depletion in the total thiol level in testes of treated rats. Conversely, the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) production were markedly elevated in testes of PCBs‐treated rats compared with control. Further, PCBs exposure produced statistically significant increases in DNA tail migration, degraded double‐stranded DNA (dsDNA) concentration and histological alterations of testes of the treated rats compared to control. Quercetin cotreatment significantly improved the testicular antioxidant status, decreased DNA fragmentation and restored the testicular histology, thus demonstrating the protective effect of quercetin in PCBs‐treated rats. |
| |
| Keywords: | DNA polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) quercetin rats testes |
|
|
