β-CYFLUTHRIN-INDUCED IMPAIRMENT IN NEUROTRANSMITTERS, TESTICULAR FUNCTION AND GENE EXPERISSIONS OF MALE RATS: THE PROTECTIVE ROLE OF OMEGA-3

The present study was designed to evaluate the protective effect of omega-3 against β-cyfluthrin (β-cyf)-induced neurotransmitters’ impairment, oxidative damage, testicular toxicity and genotoxicity. Adult male Wistar rats were divided equally into four groups: Group (I): Control, Group (II): β-cyf (5 mg/kg body weight/day), Group (III): omega-3 (400 mg/kg body weight/da y) + β-cyf (5 mg/kg body weight/day), Group (IV): omega-3 (400 mg/kg body weight/day). β-cyf’s treatment for 8 weeks inhibited the activities of AChE, DA, LDH, total ATPase and Na⁺/K⁺ATPase. Also, β-cyf resulted in an increase in oxidative stress as indicated by elevations in the levels of MDA and NO while, the levels of TAC, thiol content and TP were decreased in brain and testis. Sperm count, sperm motility and testosterone levels were reduced while, sperm abnormalities, FSH and LH levels were increased in β-cyf-treated group. Also, β-cyf administration led to a significant increase in TNFα, IL-6 and APP mRNA expressions. In addition, β-cyf caused histopathological alterations in brain and testis. The present results showed that omega-3 could improve all the measured parameters. In conclusion, omega-3 could exhibit protective effects against β-cyf induced neurological and testicular damage.