Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Spectrophotometric Screening for Potential Inhibitors of Cytosolic Glutathione S-Transferases
Published on: October 10, 2020
Curcumin Inhibits The Adverse Effects of Sodium Arsenite in Mouse Epididymal Sperm
Hamid Reza Momeni1, Najmeh Eskandari1
1Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran.
Background:
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of curcumin on epididy- mal sperm parameters in adult male Navel Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice ex- posed to sodium arsenite.
Materials And Methods:
In this experimental study, we divided the animals into four groups: control, sodium arsenite (5 mg/kg), curcumin (100 mg/kg) and curcumin+sodium arsenite. Exposures were performed by intraperitoneal injections for a 5-week period. After the exposure period, we recorded the animals' body and left testes weights. The left caudal epididymis was used to count the sperm number and analyze motility, viability, morphological abnormalities, acrosome reaction, DNA integrity, and histone-protamine replacement in the spermatozoa. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by the Tukey's test was used to assess the statistical significance of the data with SPSS 16.0. P<0.05 was considered significant.
Results:
Mice exposed to sodium arsenite showed a significant decrease in the num- ber, motility, viability, normal sperm morphology and acrosome integrity of spermato- zoa compared to the control group. In the curcumin+sodium arsenite group, curcumin significantly reversed these adverse effects to the point where they approximated the control. In addition, the application of curcumin alone had no significant difference in these parameters compared to the control and curcumin+sodium arsenite groups. However, we observed no significant differences in the body and the testis weight as well as the DNA integrity and histone-protamine replacement in the spermatozoa of the four groups.
Conclusion:
Curcumin compensated for the toxic effects of sodium arsenite on a number of sperm parameters in adult mice.
Insights
Curcumin supplementation protected male mice against sodium arsenite toxicity, improving key sperm parameters like count, motility, and viability. Curcumin alone did not affect these parameters, indicating a protective role against arsenic-induced damage.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Toxicology
- Natural Product Chemistry
Background:
- Sodium arsenite exposure negatively impacts male reproductive health.
- Epididymal sperm parameters are crucial indicators of male fertility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the protective effects of curcumin against sodium arsenite-induced damage to sperm parameters in adult male mice.
- To assess the impact of curcumin on sperm count, motility, viability, morphology, and DNA integrity.
Main Methods:
- Adult male NMRI mice were divided into four groups: control, sodium arsenite, curcumin, and combined treatment.
- Animals received intraperitoneal injections for 5 weeks.
- Sperm parameters including count, motility, viability, morphology, and acrosome integrity were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Sodium arsenite exposure significantly reduced sperm count, motility, viability, and acrosome integrity.
- Curcumin treatment significantly reversed these adverse effects caused by sodium arsenite.
- Curcumin alone did not alter sperm parameters compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Curcumin effectively counteracted the detrimental effects of sodium arsenite on sperm parameters in mice.
- Curcumin demonstrates potential as a therapeutic agent against arsenic-induced male reproductive toxicity.
More Related Videos
09:41Functional Assessment of Kinesin-7 CENP-E in Spermatocytes Using In Vivo Inhibition, Immunofluorescence and Flow Cytometry
Published on: December 28, 2021
06:11Author Spotlight: Exploring the Long-Term Health Impacts of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection on Offspring
Published on: May 17, 2024
