Role of Quercetin in Cadmium-Induced Oxidative Stress, Testicular Damage, and Apoptosis in Rats

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of quercetin on cadmium-induced oxidative stress, testicular damage, and apoptosis in rat testes. STUDY DESIGN: The rats were randomly allotted into 1 of 3 experimental groups: control, cadmium-treated, and cadmium-treated with quercetin; each group con- tained 10 animals. Control animals received daily injec- tions of the saline vehicle alone. The cadmium-treated group was injected subcutaneously with cadmium chloride (CdCl2) dissolved in saline at a dose of 2 mL/kg/ day for 30 days, resulting in a dosage of 1 mg/kg cadmium. The rats in quercetin-treated groups were given quercetin (15 mg/kg body weight) once a day i.p., starting 2 days prior to the cadmium injection during the study period. All animals were sacrificed and testes tissues were removed for histopathological and biochemical (malondialdehyde [MDA], superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione peroxidase [GSH-Px], and serum testosterone levels) investigation. RESULTS: The mean seminiferous tubule diameter, Johnsen's mean testicular biopsy score values, biochemical parameters (MDA, SOD, GSH-Px, and serum testosterone levels), and amount of germ cell apoptosis were significantly decreased in the cadmium-treated groups as compared to the control group. Furthermore, the quercetin-treated animals showed improved histological and biochemical parameters in the cadmium-treated group. CONCLUSION: The present study showed that quercetin treatment protected testes against toxic effects of cadmium. We believe that further preclinical research into the utility of quercetin may indicate its usefulness as a potential treatment for spermatogenesis after testicular injury caused by cadmium-treated rats.