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The Protective Effects of l-Carnitine and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Against Diabetic Injury on Sex Steroid Hormones Levels, Oxidative Stress, and Ovarian Histopathological Changes in Rat

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Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a common chronic metabolic disorder. This study aimed to investigate the effects of co-treatment with l-carnitine (LC) and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on serum levels of sex hormones, oxidative stress, and ovarian histopathology in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Female Wistar rats (n = 56, 180–220 g) received a single intraperitoneal (IP) injection of STZ (65 mg/kg). They were randomly assigned into the following groups: diabetic group (Dia), Dia+Met group (100 mg metformin/kg/day), Dia+LC group (200 mg/kg/day), Dia+ZnONPs group (10 mg/kg/day), and Dia+LC+ZnONPs group (200 mg LC/kg/day and 10 mg ZnONPs/kg/day). Control group (Ctl) received the same volume of STZ solvent. After 21 days of treatment, blood serum was centrifuged for sex hormone assays. The right ovary was used for biochemical analysis, and the left ovary was fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin for histological assessment. The levels of estradiol, progesterone, FSH, and LH significantly increased in the Dia+ZnONPs+LC group (P < 0.001) compared with the Dia group. Co-treatment with LC and ZnONPs reduced malondialdehyde and carbonyl protein and increased glutathione, catalase, and superoxide dismutase activities in ovarian tissue compared with the Dia group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the number of all ovarian follicles significantly increased in this group compared with the Dia group (P < 0.05). The results of this study indicated that co-treatment with LC and ZnONPs could preserve ovarian function by increasing sex hormones levels and antioxidant activity and decreasing lipid peroxidation in diabetic rats. Therefore, this compound supplementation may improve ovulation and fertility in people with diabetes mellitus.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Laboratory Animal House of the university (Project number: 97-3038).

Funding

The Immunogenic Research Center (IRC) of Sari Medical Faculty and Chancellor for Research and Technology of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Mazandaran, Iran, financially supported this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Immunogenetic Research Center (IRC), Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 48175-1665, Sari, Iran

    Fatemeh Zahra Majidi, Nourollah Rezaei, Majid Malekzadeh Shafaroudi & Saeed Abediankenari

  2. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Nourollah Rezaei, Zohreh Zare & Majid Malekzadeh Shafaroudi

  3. Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, I.R., Iran

    Ayat Dashti

  4. Immunogenetic Research Center (IRC), Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

    Saeed Abediankenari

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  1. Fatemeh Zahra Majidi
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Majidi, F.Z., Rezaei, N., Zare, Z. et al. The Protective Effects of l-Carnitine and Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Against Diabetic Injury on Sex Steroid Hormones Levels, Oxidative Stress, and Ovarian Histopathological Changes in Rat. Reprod. Sci. 28, 888–896 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-020-00317-0

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