Pomegranate Juice Treatment Prevents Carbon Tetrachloride(CCl4)-induced Testicular Damage in Rats: A Biochemical and Histological Study

We investigated the side effects of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) on testicular tissue and explored the protective effects of pomegranate juice (PJ) against CCl4 exposure. Twenty-eight male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into four groups as follows: Control, PJ, CCl4, and CCl4+PJ. We assessed serum testosterone levels and evaluated carboxylesterase (CaE), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione Stransferase (GST) parameters. Histopathological changes were examined using CD68 immunoreactivity to detect macrophage activity. Analysis revealed a significant increase in CaE activity in the PJ group that compared to the control group (p < 0.05). CCl4 exposure reduced CaE activity, which was partially restored by PJ in the CCl4+PJ group (p < 0.05). PJ also significantly reduced the elevated MDA levels induced by CCl4 (p < 0.05). CCl4 alone decreased the reduced glutathione (GSH) levels (p < 0.05), however PJ had no effect on GSH levels (p > 0.05). Neither CCl4 nor PJ had an effect on glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) activity (p > 0.05). In conclusion, PJ reversed histological damage and restored reduced testosterone levels. Furthermore, it alleviated CCl4-induced oxidative stress by utilizing an alternative antioxidant system rather than glutathione.

Journal

SLOVENIAN VETERINARY RESEARCH

Year

2025

Volume

62

Issue

2

Pages

83-93

ISSN

1580-4003

eISSN

2385-8761

DOI

10.26873/SVR-2056-2024

WoS UID

WOS:001603637600003