Evaluation of the protective effects of probiotic administration in terms of reproductive toxic effects in high-fat diet-induced obesity in male rats

Obesity in the Western world has reached epidemic levels, posing risks to reproductive health and potentially causing a decrease in sperm quality. This thesis aimed to investigate the toxic effects of a high-fat diet-induced overweight/obesity model on the reproductive system in rats and investigate the protective and treatment effects of probiotic administration on potential toxic effects. The study found that rats fed a high fat diet had increased testicular and epididymal weights, decreased sperm concentration, and abnormally morphological sperm. Testicular histopathological findings showed decreased sperm amount in the seminiferous tubule lumen, degeneration in the seminiferous tubule structure, and anomalies in testicular structure cells. Serum LH levels decreased in rats fed a high-fat diet compared to control rats, and increased GSH and MDA levels were noted in testicular tissues. Probiotic administration reduced weight gain in rats fed a high-fat diet, but did not show a significant protective and healing effect on the negative changes in testicular and epididymal weights, sperm concentration, and morphology caused by high-fat diet feeding. However, probiotic application had a protective effect on testicular histopathological findings and mild structural deformation. Therapeutic probiotic application slightly worsened testicular degenerative findings induced by the high-fat diet, but did not provide a positive contribution to testicular MDA levels.