GLUTATHIONE AND ANTIOXIDANT STUDY IN TESTES OF WISTAR RATS AFTER DIETARY COPPER DEFICIENCY

Copper is an essential trace element involved in a plethora of functions being a component of several enzymes. Copper deficiency affects people of all age groups, including infants, children, pregnant women, and men. Deficiency occurs due to numerous factors hindering the absorption/uptake of copper. Male Wistar rats (35-50 gm) were divided into four groups: Group 1: Negative control – fed with standard feed (Ashirwad Industries, Chandigarh) and tap water was provided ad libitum .Group 2: Copper control group- Fed with diet containing 126 nmol Cu/gm. Tap water was provided ad libitum. (c) Group 3: Pair-fed group – Fed with 126 nmol Cu /gm diet but the amount of feed given was equal to the feed consumed by the copper-deficient group the previous day to account for stress and starvation effect caused due to low intake diet. Tap water was provided ad libitum (d) Group 4: Copper deficient- animals were fed with 6.3 nmol Cu / gm diet, and demineralized water was provided ad libitum. The experiment was conducted for 2-, 4- and 6 weeks. Glutathione concentration and Cu-Zn SOD decreased significantly (P<0.05) after dietary copper deficiency. After copper deficiency, a significant increase (P<0.05) in total SOD, Mn-SOD, and catalase activities /expression was observed. The vulnerability of testes to oxidative stress and subsequent generation of reactive oxygen species accounts for impaired glutathione concentration and antioxidant enzymes. This indicates that prolonged perturbation of the copper homeostasis would hamper the functional aspect of testes ultimately leading  to infertility.