摘要
Objective:To assess the potential of plantain-based diet in modulating testicular toxicities in rats exposed to atrazine.Methods:The plantain-based diet at 50%,25% and 12.5% were prepared from the basal diet by substituting the corn starch with plantain fruit pulp flour at different percentages.Wistar rats were fed plantain-based diet in varying concentrations ranging from 12.5% to 50% of the basal diet for 21 days before or after atrazine treatment in a two-phase experiment:preventive and therapeutic phases.The therapeutic model(n=35)had seven groups with 5 rats each,including the control,atrazine,atrazine recovery,atrazine plus plantain-based diet 50%,25%,12.5%,and atrazine plus quercetin groups.The preventive model(n=30)had six groups of 5 rats,consisting of the control,atrazine,50%,25%,12.5% plantain-based diet plus atrazine,and quercetin plus atrazine groups.Gonadal hormones(testosterone,luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone),sperm parameters(sperm motility,viability,morphology and concentration),and testicular function indices(protein,cholesterol,glycogen,acid phosphatase,alkaline phosphatase and lactate dehydrogenase)were measured.Results:The gonadal hormones,sperm characteristics,and testicular function indices of the rat testis decreased significantly in the atrazine group alongside degeneration of the histoarchitecture.However,plantain-based diet restored the gonadal hormone concentrations,semen parameters,and testicular function indices in both the preventive and therapeutic models.Conclusions:Treatment with plantain-based diet protects against rat testicular toxicity caused by atrazine via the modulation of gonadal hormones,sperm quality,testicular function index as well as histoarchitecture of rat testes.
