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Hydrogen sulfide alleviates acrylamide-induced testicular toxicity in male rats

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Abstract

Objective

Testicular tissues and sperms are typically vulnerable to oxidative stress and inflammation. Despite functioning as a signaling molecule in different physiological and pathological processes, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) role in the reproductive system is not fully recognized. This study aimed to assess whether H2S could counteract the testicular damage that acrylamide (AC) causes in male rats.

Methods

Forty male rats were equally divided randomly into four groups: normal control, AC, H2S, and AC + H2S who received normal saline, 40 mg/Kg of AC, 200 µg/Kg of sodium hydrosulfide NaHS (H2S donor), and 40 mg/Kg of AC + 200 µg/Kg of NaHS by intraperitoneal injection for 14 consecutive days, respectively. Body and testes weights, sperm count and motility, lactate dehydrogenase isoenzyme-x (LDH-X), serum testosterone level, oxidative parameters, the expression level of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), inflammatory cytokines, and histopathological alterations were evaluated.

Results

The reduction in relative testicular weights, sperm count, and motility served as evidence of the harmful effects of AC. However, these values were reversed when H2S and AC were combined. Additionally, AC significantly decreased serum testosterone level, testicular LDH-X activity, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and reduced glutathione. While malondialdehyde, expression levels of iNOS protein and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) levels were elevated. Interestingly, the co-administration of H2S with AC reversed these values, demonstrating an opposing effect in the previous parameters.

Conclusion

H2S exhibited a protective effect in the rat model of testicular toxicity induced by AC, which may be associated with the suppression of iNOS expression, proinflammatory cytokines, and the inhibition of oxidative stress injury.

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Data availability

Data available on request from corresponding author.The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge with thanks Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, for technical and financial support. This study did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmacology and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt

    Hamada Ahmed Mokhlis, Mohammed Helmy Rashed & Ibrahim Ghalib Saleh

  2. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, 11884, Egypt

    Mahmoud Gomaa Eldeib, Ahmed A. El-Husseiny, Emad Gamil Khidr, Maher H. Gomaa, Hesham S. Gad & Ahmed Aglan

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  1. Hamada Ahmed Mokhlis
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Contributions

HAM, AA conceived and designed the study. HAM, MHR, IGS, MGE, AAE, AA performed the practical experiments. EGK, MHG collected and analyzed data. HAM, MGE, AAE, AA, HSG wrote and revised the manuscript: All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ahmed A. El-Husseiny.

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Conflict of interest

Hamada Ahmed Mokhlis, Mohammed Helmy Rashed, Ibrahim Ghalib Saleh, Mahmoud Gomaa Eldeib, Ahmed A. El-Husseiny, Emad Gamil Khidr, Maher H. Gomaa, Hesham S. Gad, and Ahmed Aglan declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

All experimental procedures for animals in this study were conducted in accordance with the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals prepared by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Resources for the National Research Council. Approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt was obtained before the animal experiments were performed (Azhar-Pharmacy-2022–005).

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Mokhlis, H.A., Rashed, M.H., Saleh, I.G. et al. Hydrogen sulfide alleviates acrylamide-induced testicular toxicity in male rats. Toxicol. Environ. Health Sci. 15, 41–51 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13530-022-00156-3

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