Urtica dioica L. Alleviates Bisphenol A-Induced Testicular Toxicity in Rats via Modulation of Oxidative Stress, Inflammation, and Apoptosis

In this study, the aim was to investigate the effect of Urtica dioica L. (UD) on bisphenol A (BPA)-induced testicular toxicity in rats. Forty-eight male rats were divided into six groups: control, BPA (50 mg/kg), UD100 (100 mg/kg), UD200 (200 mg/kg), BPA + UD100, and BPA + UD200. UD ameliorated the BPA-induced reductions in sperm concentration and motility, membrane integrity and decreased increments in abnormalities of sperm. The results showed that BPA exposure significantly decreased testosterone levels, and moreover, co-administration of UD appeared to enhance this effect. Treatment with UD alleviated BPA-induced testicular apoptosis by attenuation of Bax and cleaved caspase-3 levels by increasing Bcl-2 level. Moreover, it was significantly reduced inflammation by decreasing the expression of TNF-α, IL-1ß, and IL-6 in the testis tissue compared to the BPA group. It was also determined that BPA-induced histopathological damage was significantly mitigated by UD co-administration. In the BPA group, CAT, SOD, and GPx levels decreased compared with those of the control group. However, co-administration of UD showed an ameliorative effect on the other antioxidant enzymes except for SOD. These findings revealed that UD can be used as a potential and effective agent to ameliorate BPA-induced testicular toxicity due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties.