The protective effect of quercetin (QT) on atrazine (ATZ)-induced testicular damage in rats was investigated. Sexually mature male Wistar rats (weighing 220–250 g) divided into four groups with six animals in each group were given ATZ (120 mg kg–1; 1/16 of the median lethal dose for an oral dose) and/or QT (10 mg kg–1) daily via gavage for 16 days. By the end of day 16, rats given ATZ alone had significantly lower sperm counts, daily spermatozoa production, and sperm motility and significantly higher abnormal sperm numbers than the untreated control rats. The rats given ATZ alone also had significantly decreased 3β-hydroxtsteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) and 17β-HSD activities than the control rats. Lactate dehydrogenase activity and malondialdehyde levels were significantly increased, whereas superoxide dismutase activity decreased but glutathione levels remain unaffected after ATZ exposure. These changes were reversed toward control values in the QT + ATZ-treated animals, though the sperm motility was 28% below the control levels but was still higher than in the ATZ-treated rats. The results indicate that QT might improve testicular function of rats exposed to ATZ, but its protective effect on sperm motility might be partial.
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