Effects of Curcumin on Histologic Lesions of Testis Induced by Aflatoxin B1 in Rat Offspring before and after Puberty

This study was done to evaluate the use of curcumin to protect testicular tissue in offspring which their mother was exposed to aflatoxin.
Material & Seventy adult female vistar rats were divided to control, sham and five experimental groups. Rats received serum physiology (the same volume a drugs), dimethyl sulfuxide (the same volume of drugs), Aflatoxin B1 (0.25 mg/kg), Aflatoxin B1 and curcumin (0.25 and 50 mg/kg), Aflatoxin B1 and curcumin (0.25 and 100 mg/kg), curcumin 50 mg/kg and curcumin 100 mg/kg intraperitoneally in the control and experimental groups. For histologic studies, testis samples were taken from male offspring at 1, 4 and 8 weeks. Samples fixed in formalin, 6µ thickness slides were prepared and stained with H&E.
Findings: In all times of sampling diameter of seminiferous tubule, number of germ cells and thickness of epithelium of seminiferous tubule in rats received aflatoxin decreased compared to control but these changes were not significant. In rats which received curcumin all parameters increased significantly.
Discussion & Our results showed that curcumin could compensate undesirable effects of aflatoxin B1.