title: Zinc therapy improves deleterious effects of chronic copper administration on mice testes: histopathological evaluation.
abstract: This study was set to investigate whether the adverse effects of long-term copper (Cu) consumption on testicular tissue could be prevented by zinc (Zn) administration. Forty-five mature male mice were randomly divided into one control and two treatment groups. The first treatment group received copper sulphate (Cu experimental group). The second treatment group was given combined treatment of copper sulphate and zinc sulphate (ZC experimental group). Control animals received normal saline using the same volume. Five mice from each group were sacrificed on day 14, 28 and 56 from the beginning of treatments. Left testes were removed for histopathological and histomorphometrical evaluations. Morphometrically, the diameter of seminiferous tubules and Sertoli cell nuclei, epithelial height, meiotic index and the percentage of spermatogenesis in Cu groups showed significant decrease compared to those of the control groups (P < 0.05). A partial improvement was seen in the percentage of spermatogenesis and meiotic index (P < 0.05) in ZC groups, whereas a complete recovery was observed in the rest of parameters in ZC group after 56 days compared to the control group (P > 0.05). Results showed that long-term administration of Cu leads to histological impairments of testis and zinc supplementation might offset these damaging effects.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kheirandish
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Askari
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Babaei
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019327:Copper Sulfate / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000187:drug effects; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology; D019287:Zinc Sulfate / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D019287:Zinc Sulfate; D019327:Copper Sulfate
keywords: Copper poisoning; histopathology; mice; testes; zinc