Moringa oleifera leaf extract attenuates Pb acetate-induced testicular damage in rats

Background: Lead (Pb) remains a common contaminant in the environment in many parts of the world. Pb exposure adversely affects many human organs, including the gonads, via oxidant and inflammatory marker propagation in affected tissues. Moringa oleifera leaf extract (MOE) is a rich source of antioxidants reported to have robust antiinflammatory properties.

Aims: This investigation assessed whether MOE could mitigate testicular damage caused by Pb acetate treatment in rats.

Methods: Four experimental groups were used: control animals (saline only), MOE (MOE only), PbAc (Pb acetate injection only), and MOE+PbAc. All treatments were administered for two weeks, after which animals were sacrificed, and tissues and serum were examined. To confirm the potential antioxidant effect of MOE, the total polyphenolics (TP) and flavonoids (TF) concentration were determined.

Results: The obtained results revealed that the TP concentration was 17.4 mg gallic acid equivalents per g MOE dried weight and the TF concentration was 5.6 mg of quercetin equivalents per g MOE dried weight. Moreover, MOE partially restored levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone and significantly attenuated oxidative stress biomarkers malondialdehyde (MDA) and nitric oxide (NO) compared to levels observed in the PbAconly group. MOE significantly increased the enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant molecules superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione (GSH). Testicular levels of inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα) and interleukin-1beta (IL-1β) were significantly decreased in MOE+PbAc compared to PbAc. MOE also significantly decreased pro-apoptotic Bax and caspase-3 mRNA and protein levels and increased anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels.

Conclusion: MOE extract was associated with significant antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic activity that ameliorated testicular damage induced by Pb acetate. We propose MOE as a favorable adjuvant to existing treatments for Pb-induced toxicity.

Keywords: Moringa oleifera; Pb; oxidative stress; rat.; testes.