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Potential protective effect of beta-caryophyllene against cadmium chloride-induced damage to the male reproductive
Beatriz A Espinosa-Ahedo1, Eduardo Madrigal-Bujaidar1, Manuel Sánchez-Gutiérrez2
1Laboratorio de Genética, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Av. Wilfrido Massieu s/n, Zacatenco, Ciudad de México 07738, Mexico.
Abstract:
Cadmium is a metal that can affect the male reproductive process, possibly leading to infertility. In contrast, beta-caryophyllene (BC) is a sesquiterpene that has shown antigenotoxic, anticancer, and antioxidant properties. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the protective effect of BC against the deleterious effects of cadmium chloride (CC) on various mouse testicular and sperm parameters. We tested three doses of BC (20, 200, and 400 mg/kg) given before and during exposure to 3 mg/kg CC (six days after a single administration). Our results show significant alleviation of the damage induced by CC after the three doses of BC. Regarding the sperm concentration and morphology, the protection with the high dose was complete, and regarding sperm mobility and viability, the protection was more than 74%. In the comet assay, the highest dose showed a reduction of 92.5% in the damage induced by CC, and regarding the number of micronuclei in the spermatids, the reduction was 83.3%. In the oxidative evaluation, regarding sperm lipoperoxidation, the improvement was complete with the high dose, and in the ABTS.+ test, the improvement in the response to the BC high dose was 26.3%. Regarding testicular lipoperoxidation and protein oxidation, the protective effects of the high BC dose were 87.6% and 89.9%, respectively. We also found that BC protected against the histological and morphometric alterations induced by CC. Therefore, our study clearly demonstrates the beneficial, chemopreventive effect of BC against the mouse sperm and testicular alterations induced by CC.
Insights
Beta-caryophyllene (BC) protects against cadmium chloride (CC) induced male reproductive toxicity. This study shows BC significantly alleviates CC
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Toxicology
- Natural Product Chemistry
- Oxidative Stress Research
Background:
- Cadmium chloride (CC) is a toxic metal known to impair male reproductive health and fertility.
- Beta-caryophyllene (BC), a natural sesquiterpene, possesses documented antigenotoxic, anticancer, and antioxidant properties.
- Investigating BC's potential to counteract CC-induced testicular damage is crucial for understanding male infertility causes and potential treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the protective efficacy of beta-caryophyllene (BC) against cadmium chloride (CC) induced testicular and sperm damage in mice.
- To determine the dose-dependent effects of BC on various sperm parameters, oxidative stress markers, and testicular histology following CC exposure.
- To assess BC's chemopreventive potential in mitigating CC-induced male reproductive toxicity.
Main Methods:
- Mice were administered three different doses of BC (20, 200, 400 mg/kg) before and during exposure to CC (3 mg/kg).
- Evaluated parameters included sperm concentration, morphology, mobility, viability, DNA damage (comet assay), and micronuclei formation.
- Assessed oxidative stress markers (lipoperoxidation, protein oxidation, ABTS assay) and performed histological and morphometric analyses of testicular tissues.
Main Results:
- BC administration significantly alleviated CC-induced damage across all tested doses.
- High-dose BC provided complete protection for sperm concentration and morphology, and over 74% protection for sperm mobility and viability.
- BC significantly reduced DNA damage (92.5% in comet assay) and micronuclei formation (83.3%), and reversed oxidative stress and histological alterations.
Conclusions:
- Beta-caryophyllene (BC) demonstrates significant beneficial and chemopreventive effects against cadmium chloride (CC) induced alterations in mouse sperm and testes.
- BC effectively mitigates CC-induced male reproductive toxicity by reducing oxidative stress, DNA damage, and histological damage.
- These findings highlight BC as a potential therapeutic agent for protecting male reproductive health against heavy metal toxicity.
