Protective effect of pumpkin seed extract against testicular toxicity induced by tramadol in adolescent and adult male albino rats

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Abstract

Background
Tramadol overdose is one of the most common causes of drug poisoning in Egypt, especially in young men with a history of substance abuse and mental disorders.
Objective
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of tramadol on the testis and the possible protective role of pumpkin seed extract (PSE) in adolescent and adult albino rats.
Materials and methods
Twenty-four healthy growing male Wistar rats aged 3 weeks (adolescent) and another 24 adult rats aged 6 weeks were included in this study. Each group was divided into four equal groups and treated for 3 weeks; these four subgroups were the control group, the PSE alone-treated group (at 40 mg/kg body weight), the tramadol-treated group (at 20 mg/kg body weight/day for the first week and at 40 and 80 mg/kg for the second and third weeks, respectively) and the combination group treated with PSE (at 40 mg/kg body weight) and tramadol (at 20 mg/kg body weight/day in the first week and 40 and 80 mg/kg in the second and third weeks, respectively). At the end of the experiment, testicular tissue samples were collected and processed for histological and ultrastructural examination.
Results and conclusion
The histopathological examination of the tramadol-treated groups (adults and adolescents) indicated severe structural changes in germ cells in the form of degenerated apoptic cells, exfoliation of germ cells in the lumen of seminiferous tubules, hemorrhage, vacuolization, disorganization, and marked loss of cells. But PSE succeeded in protecting the testicular tissue and diminished the atrophic changes. It could be concluded that PSE has a prophylactic effect against tramadol-induced testicular damage and this action was more pronounced in adults than in adolescents.

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Egyptian Pharmaceutical Journal
Volume 16, Issue 1
January 2017
Pages 43-52

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