Al-Qadisiyah Journal of Veterinary Medicine Sciences

Alpha-Lipoic Acid Mitigates Copper Sulfate-Induced Male Reproductive Toxicity in Albino Rats

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Al-Qadisiyah Journal of Veterinary Medicine Sciences

10.29079/qjvms.2022.179332

Abstract

A total of 40 albino rats, all about a month old and weighing between 200 and 220 grams, were randomly split into four groups for the experiment. In the first group, the rats received a daily dose of 40 mg of CuSO4/kg BW via stomach tube for two months. The second group was administered 40 mg/kg BW CuSO4 through a stomach tube and 100 mg/kg BW intraperitoneal once-daily injections of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) for two months. The third group received intraperitoneal injections of alpha-lipoic acid at a dose of 100 mg/kg BW once daily for two months, whereas the fourth group, which served as the control group, received intraperitoneal injections of 0.2 ml of normal saline once daily for two months. After two months, all of the animals were sacrificed, and the testes and epididymis were removed for histological analysis. Based on the results of the first group, the amount of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatozoa, and Leydig cells in the testicles of male albino rats exposed to CuSo4 was statistically lower (p  0.05 ). Rats exposed to CuSO4 with lipoic acid (2nd group) had significantly higher levels of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatozoa, and Leydig cells compared to the 1st group, in which CuSO4 alone significantly (p  0.05 ) decreased these parameters compared with the control group. In rats treated with just lipoic acid, however, the increase in spermatogonial cells, spermatocytes, spermatozoa, and Leydig cells was not statistically significant compared to the control group (4th group). Whereas these microscopic pathological changes showed severe toxicological lesion in both testes and epididymis of rats in the 1st group (CuSo4 group) if compared to a control group and other experimental groups. These lesions due to the toxic effects of CuSo4 on the male reproductive toxicity. ALA's preventive and ameliorative impact against the toxicity of CuSo4 resulted in the second group (CuSo4 plus ALA) exhibiting much more favorable and healing changes than the first group.

 

Keywords

References
  1. Franchitto N, Gandia P, Mailly B, Georges B, Galinier A, Telmon N, et al. Acute copper sulphate poisoning: A case report and literature review. Resuscitation. 2008;78(1):92-6.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resuscitation.2008.02.017
  2. ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists). Copper. In: Documentation of the Threshold Limit Values and Biological Exposure Indices. 5th ed. Cincinnati, OH: ACGIH; 1986. p. 146.
  3. Tavares-Dias M. Toxic, physiological, histomorphological, growth performance and antiparasitic effects of copper sulphate in fish aquaculture. Aquaculture. 2021;535:736350.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.736350
  4. Copper Development Association. Uses of Copper Compounds: Table A - Uses of Copper Sulphate. Copper Development Association Inc. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
  5. Hajimohammadi S, Gharibi S, Pourbarkhordar V, Mousavi SR, Salmani Izadi H. Acute poisoning of copper sulfate: a case report and review literature. Egypt J Intern Med. 2022;34(1):1-5.https://doi.org/10.1186/s43162-022-00168-y
  6. Sinkovic A, Strdin A, Svensek F. Severe acute copper sulphate poisoning: A case report. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol. 2008;59:31-5.https://doi.org/10.2478/10004-1254-59-2008-1847
  7. Naha K, Saravu K, Shastry BA. Blue vitriol poisoning: a 10-year experience in a tertiary care hospital. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2012;50:197-201.https://doi.org/10.3109/15563650.2012.660572
  8. Saravu K, Jose J, Bhat MN, Jimmy B, Shastry BA. Acute ingestion of copper sulphate: A review on its clinical manifestations and management. Indian J Crit Care Med. 2007;11:74-80.https://doi.org/10.4103/0972-5229.33389
  9. Suh JH, Shenvi SV, Dixon BM. Decline in transcriptional activity of Nrf2 causes age-related loss of glutathione synthesis, which is reversible with lipoic acid. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004;101(10):3381-6.https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0400282101
  10. Bast A, Haenen GR. Interplay between lipoic acid and glutathione in the protection against microsomal lipid peroxidation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1988;963(3):558-61.https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-2760(88)90326-8
  11. Li Y, Liu Y, Shi J, Jia S. Alpha lipoic acid protects lens from H(2)O(2)-induced cataract by inhibiting apoptosis of lens epithelial cells and inducing activation of anti-oxidative enzymes. Asian Pac J Trop Med. 2013;6:548-51.https://doi.org/10.1016/S1995-7645(13)60094-2
  12. Alwachi SN, Al-Kobaisi MF, Mahmoud FA, Zahid ZR. Possible effect of nicotine on the spermatogenesis and testicular activity of the mature male albino mice. J Biol Sci Res. 1986;17(3):185-94.
  13. Leech NL, Barrett KC, Morgan GA. IBM SPSS For Intermediate statistics. 4th ed. Taylor and Francis Group, LLC, USA; 2011.https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203821848
  14. Chattopadhyay A, Sarkar M, Sengupta R, Roychowdhury G, Biswas NM. Antitesticular effect of copper chloride in albino rats. J Toxicol Sci. 1999;24(5):393-7.https://doi.org/10.2131/jts.24.5_393
  15. Al-Musawi MMS, Al-Shmgani H, Al-Bairuty GA. Histopathological and Biochemical Comparative Study of Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Copper Sulphate Toxicity in Male Albino Mice Reproductive System. Int J Biomater. 2022;2022:4877637.https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/4877637
  16. Sakhaee E, Emadi L, Kheirandish R, Azari O, Abshenas J, Amiri E. Evaluation of epididymal sperm quality, and histopathological assessment of male reproductive organ, following experimentally induced copper poisoning in male rats. Andrologia. 2012;44:110-6.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0272.2010.01147.x
  17. Selvakumar E, Prahalathan C, Mythili Y, Varalakshmi P. Protective effect of DL-alpha-lipoic acid in cyclophosphamide induced oxidative injury in rat testis. Reprod Toxicol. 2004;19(2):163-7.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2004.06.015
  18. Al-Okaily BN, Murad HF. Role of alpha lipoic acid in protecting testes of adult rats from lead toxicity. Iraqi J Vet Sci. 2021;35(2):305-12.https://doi.org/10.33899/ijvs.2020.126814.1386
  19. Haywood S, Simpson DM, Ross G, Beynon RJ. The Greater Susceptibility of North Ronaldsay Sheep Compared with Cambridge Sheep to Copper-Induced Oxidative Stress, Mitochondrial Damage and Hepatic Stellate Cell Activation. J Comp Pathol. 2005;133:114-27.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcpa.2005.02.001
  20. Shao Y, Zhao H, Wang Y, Liu J, Zong H, Xing M. Copper-mediated mitochondrial fission/fusion is associated with intrinsic apoptosis and autophagy in the testis tissues of chicken. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2019;188(2):468-77.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-018-1427-6
  21. Shivanandappa T, Krishnakumari MK, Majumder SK. Testicular atrophy in Gallus domesticus fed acute doses of copper fungicides. Poult Sci. 1983;62(2):405-8.https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0620405
  22. Rana SV. Perspectives in endocrine toxicity of heavy metals--a review. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2014;160(1):1-14.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-014-0023-7
  23. Liu JY, Yang X, Sun XD, Zhuang CC, Xu FB, Li YF. Suppressive Effects of Copper Sulfate Accumulation on the Spermatogenesis of Rats. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2016;174(2):356-61.https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-016-0710-7
  24. Rezaei Zonooz S, Hasani M, Morvaridzadeh M, Pizarro AB, Heydari H, Yosaee S, et al. Effect of alpha-lipoic acid on oxidative stress parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Funct Foods. 2021;87:104774.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jff.2021.104774
  25. Yonar ME, Ispir U, Yonar SM, Kirici M. Effect of copper sulphate on the antioxidant parameters in the rainbow trout fry, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2016;62:55-8.https://doi.org/10.14715/cmb/2016.62.13.9
  26. Prahalathan C, Selvakumar E, Varalakshmi P, Kumarasamy P, Saravanan R. Salubrious effects of lipoic acid against adriamycin-induced clastogenesis and apoptosis in Wistar rat bone marrow cells. Toxicology. 2006;222:225-32.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tox.2006.02.015
Al-Qadisiyah Journal of Veterinary Medicine Sciences
Volume 21, Issue 2
June 2022
Pages 153-161
Files
Share
How to cite
Statistics