Korean J Physiol Pharmacol.  2014 Apr;18(2):143-148. 10.4196/kjpp.2014.18.2.143.

The Hepatotoxicity and Testicular Toxicity Induced by Arecoline in Mice and Protective Effects of Vitamins C and E

• Zhou J
• Sun Q
• Yang Z
• Zhang J

• KMID: 2285503
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4196/kjpp.2014.18.2.143

Abstract

Arecoline is a major alkaloid of areca nuts which are widely chewed by southeast Asian and it manifests various toxic effects in different organs of human and animals. In this work, mature mice were treated by vitamins C plus E, arecoline, or both daily for four weeks. The results showed that arecoline significantly increased the levels of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) and significantly decreased the levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione-S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in the liver tissues. Additionally, the body weight, testis weight, sperm counts, motility and normal sperms also were significantly decreased. The supplement of vitamins C and E can bring the activities of ALP and GPT to normal levels and partially restore the sperm counts compared to the arecoline-treated group but have no other positive effects. In conclusion, the vitamins C and E partially attenuated the arecoline-induced hepatotoxiciy but basically had on protective effects against the arecoline-induced testicular toxicity.

Keyword

Arecoline; Hepatotoxicity; Protective effects; Testicular toxicity; Vitamins C and E

MeSH Terms

Alkaline Phosphatase
Animals
Areca
Arecoline*
Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Body Weight
Catalase
Glutamic Acid
Glutathione
Humans
Liver
Mice*
Nuts
Oxaloacetic Acid
Pyruvic Acid
Sperm Count
Spermatozoa
Superoxide Dismutase
Testis
Vitamins*
Alkaline Phosphatase
Arecoline
Catalase
Glutamic Acid
Glutathione
Oxaloacetic Acid
Pyruvic Acid
Superoxide Dismutase
Vitamins

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The effects of vitamins, arecoline and vitamins plus arecoline treatment on the microstructures of liver tissues observed by H&E staining. (A) Control group with normal hepatic lobule and hepatocytes; (B) vitamins-treated group with normal hepatic lobule and hepatocytes; (C) arecoline-treated group with sever steatosis and inflammatory infiltrates; (D) Vitamins plus arecoine-treated group with sever steatosis and inflammatory infiltrates; #Steatosis; *Inflammatory infiltrates; The scale bar is 50 µm.

• 

  Fig. 2 The effects of vitamins, arecoline and vitamins plus arecoline treatment on sperm morphology. (A) Control group with normal sperm morphology; (B) vitamins-treated group with normal sperm morphology; (C) arecoline-treated group with sticky sperms; (D) Vitamins plus arecoine-treated group with sticky sperms and no head sperms. NS, normal sperm; SS, sticky sperm; NH, no head sperm. The magnification is 400×.

• 

  Fig. 3 The effects of vitamins, arecoline and vitamins plus arecoline treatment on microstructures of testicular tissues observed by H&E staining. (A) Control group with normal testicular microstructures; (B) vitamins-treated group with normal testicular microstructures; (C) arecoline-treated group with large vacuoles and no spermatogenesis in the lumen of seminiferous tubules; (D) Vitamins plus arecoine-treated group with with large vacuoles and no spermatogenesis in the lumen of seminiferous tubules; ^vacuoles; &no spermatogenesis in the lumen of seminiferous tubules; The scale bar is 50 µm.

• 

  Fig. 4 The effects of vitamins, arecoline and vitamins plus arecoline treatment on ultrastructures of testicular tissues observed by TEM. (A) Control group with normal testicular ultrastructures; (B) vitamins-treated group with normal testicular ultrastructures; (C) arecoline-treated group with large vacuoles and abnormal sperm; (D) Vitamins plus arecoine-treated group with large vacuoles and abnormal sperm; NS, normal sperm; AS, abnormal sperm; V, vacuoles; The scale bar in A, B and D is 1 µm, C is 0.5 µm.

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