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. 2023 Aug 14;27(4):644-650.
doi: 10.5935/1518-0557.20230034. Online ahead of print.

Protective effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts of corn silk on nicotine-induced reproductive system disorders in male mice

Mohammad Sa'adatzadeh  1 , Ali Akbar Oroojan  2 , Mohammad Amin Behmanesh  3 , Maysam Mard-Soltani  4
Affiliations

Protective effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts of corn silk on nicotine-induced reproductive system disorders in male mice

Mohammad Sa'adatzadeh et al. JBRA Assist Reprod. .

Abstract

Objective: The protective effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts of corn silk on reproductive disorders induced by nicotine was investigated in the present study.

Methods: In this experimental study, 30 male NMRI mice (25-30gr) were divided into 5 groups: controls, sham, nicotine 2.5mg/kg, nicotine+aqueous extract of corn silk 400mg/kg, and nicotine+methanolic extract of corn silk 400mg/kg for 34 days. One day after the last nicotine and extracts administration, the serum samples were collected through cardiac puncture for hormonal measurements, and the testis and tail of the epididymis were isolated for the testis antioxidant, morphology, histopathology assessments, and sperm count.

Results: Luteinizing hormone (LH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) increased in the nicotine group. Testosterone, sperm count, and glutathione (GSH) decreased when compared to the control group. Both aqueous and methanolic extracts of corn silk led to the improvement of mentioned changes; Except for GSH, because only treatment with methanolic extract could lead to its increase (p<0.05). Nicotine decreased the thickness of the epithelium of seminiferous tubules and the separation between them, and the administration of corn silk extracts improved that.

Conclusions: Nicotine consumption increased oxidative stress, LH levels, and decreased testosterone and sperm count, which indicate the induction of primary hypogonadism in animals. Moreover, the use of corn silk extracts has recovered the amounts of sex hormones and sperm count to normal conditions by reducing lipid peroxidation.

Keywords: corn silk; mouse; nicotine; reproduction.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effect of aqueous and methanol extracts of corn silk on body weight. The results are Mean±SEM for 6 mice in each group.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The effect of aqueous and methanol extracts of corn silk on serum LH hormone levels. The results are Mean±SEM for 6 mice in each group. #: p<0.05 compared to the control group; *: p<0.05 compared to nicotine group.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The effects of aqueous and methanol extracts of corn silk on the amount of serum FSH hormone. The results are Mean±SEM for 6 mice in each group.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The effects of aqueous and methanol extracts of corn silk on serum testosterone levels. The results are Mean±SEM for 6 mice in each group. #: p<0.05 compared to the control group; *: p<0.05 compared to the nicotine group.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effects of aqueous and methanol extracts of corn silk on sperm count. The results are Mean±SEM for 6 mice in each group. #: p<0.05 compared to the control group; *: p<0.05 compared to the nicotine group.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts of corn silk on the amount of MDA in testicular tissue. The results are Mean±SEM for 6 mice in each group. #: p<0.05 compared to the control group; *: p<0.05 compared to the nicotine group.
Figure 7
Figure 7
The effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts of corn silk on the amount of GSH in testicular tissue. The results are Mean±SEM for 6 mice in each group. #: p<0.05 compared to the control group; *: p<0.05 compared to the nicotine group.
Figure 8
Figure 8
The effect of aqueous and methanol extracts of corn silk on changes in testicular tissue. A: control; B: sham; C: nicotine; D: nicotine + corn silk aqueous extract; E: nicotine + corn silk methanolic extract.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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