The effects of punicalagin on serum antioxidant levels and some reproductive hormones in male new zealand rabbits exposed to bisphenol A

The ameliorating effects of punicalagin (PUN) were evaluated against the changes in some oxidant-antioxidant, biochemical parameters and reproductive hormones of male New Zealand White rabbits treated with bisphenol A (BPA). A total of 24 male rabbits was housed individually and adapted to laboratory conditions for 2 weeks before the experiment. After adaptation, rabbits were randomly assigned into 4 groups. The control group received tap water and corn oil. Rabbits in BPA and PUN groups received 20 mg/kg BPA in corn oil + tap water, and 2 mg/kg PUN in tap water + corn oil, respectively. Rabbits in the last group received same amounts of BPA and PUN. All treatments were administered by daily oral gavages for 9 weeks. Body weights of the rabbits were evaluated once a week and the oral doses of the treatments were adjusted accordingly. On d 63 of the experiment, blood from the ear artery was collected and used for the evaluation of some hormones and bichemical parameters. After blood collection, rabbits were sacrificed, the internal organs were immediately removed, washed with PBS and stored at- 80oC until analyzed. The PROC GLM procedure and Dunnet post hoc analysis were used for statistical evaluations. At the end of the experiment, serum inhibin, FSH, LH, FSH/LH ratio, FSH/inhibin ratio, plasma Mg, P, Ca, Na, K, bilirubin, albumin and total plasma proteine levels were similar among the groups (P>0.1). However, serum cholesterol, LDL, HDL, amylase, lipase, CRP, GGT levels were negatively affected by BPA (P<0.05). In addition, BPA treatment significantly augmented malondialdehyde levels in plasma, testis, liver and kidney tissues (P<0.05). However, PUN treatment significantly improved these parameters, up to control levels, when coupled with BPA. The results indicated that PUN has ameliorating effects in neutralizing the possible toxic effects of BPA in male rabbits. Key words: Cholesterol, Oxidant-Antioxidant enzymes, Polyphenols, Reproductive hormones, Toxication