Modulatory Effect of Indole-3-Carbinol on Testicular Testosterone and Estrogen Receptors: A Dose-Dependent Study in Rats

The potential therapeutic application of natural compounds, particularly aromatase blockers, in hormone-related conditions has garnered significant interest due to their ability to reduce aromatase activity with minimal adverse effects.Cruciferous vegetables produce indole-3-carbinol (I3C), an estrogen receptor (ER) antagonist and natural preventive.In particular, I3C's role in reproductive testosterone regulation is unknown.This study examined how I3C affects male rat reproductive hormones (estrogen and testosterone).Adult male rats received oral I3C at human therapeutic levels for four weeks.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were used to assess hormone levels and receptor expression post-treatment.The I3C therapy lowered testes estrogen receptor alpha (ER-) expression, increased testosterone receptor abundance during spermatogenesis, and boosted testosterone levels.This study shows that I3C ingestion raises testosterone levels and receptor expression, regulating testosterone.Although the findings were insignificant, they suggest an interaction between testosterone and I3C.Testosterone receptors, along with ER- levels, vary significantly across treatment groups.For testosterone receptors, the values were: Aquadest 49.604.85;letrozole 55.283.95;dose 1 44.342.50;dose 2 66.3116.39;dose 3 79.499.00.For ER-, the levels were: letrozole 163.6338.85;dose 1 217.6330.04;dose 2 180.5051.83;dose 3 61.2522.30.We found that broccoli powder with an I3C component may influence male animals' reproductive systems for the first time.Further research, including clinical trials, is needed to understand how I3C regulates reproductive hormones and its molecular pathways.