Lavandula stoechas essential oils protect against Malathion-induces reproductive disruptions in male mice.

BACKGROUND: The current study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of Lavandula stoechas essential oils (LSEO) against malathion (M) exposure-caused reprotoxicity in male mice as well as the possible mechanisms implicated in such protection.

METHODS: Six-eight-week-old male mice weighting 25-30 g were used and divided into four groups: normal-control, LSEO (50 mg/kg, b.w.), malathion (200 mg/kg, b.w.) and malathion + LSEO treated mice. Malathion was emulsioned in corn oil and per orally administered for 30 days. LSEO was daily administrated during the same period. LSEO chemical identification was done by Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Reproduction-damages and LSEO-benefits were assessed using histopathological, biochemical and steroidogenesis gene expression disruptions and improvements.

RESULTS: The GC-MS analysis, allowed to the identification of 25 bioactive compounds in MCEO. In vivo, we firstly found that malathion exposure induced a clear reprotoxicity as assessed by a significant-decrease (P < 0.05) of testis/epididymis relative weights, serum testosterone level and reproductive performance. Malathion also produced lipoperoxidation, thiol (-SH) groups decrease as well as a significant-depletion (P < 0.05) of antioxidant enzyme activities such as catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total superoxide dismutase (SOD), Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD in testis and epididymis. The histopathological examination showed marked change in both studied tissues. All these biochemical and structural changes were significantly (P < 0.05) corrected by LSEO co-administration. More importantly, malathion exposure remarkably (P < 0.05) down-regulated the expression of StAR gene as well as, the mRNA levels of P450scc, 3ßHSD and 17ß-HSD, while LSEO-administration strangely protected against steroidogenesis disruption.

CONCLUSIONS: The potential protective effects of LSEO against malathion-induced reprotoxicity and oxidative stress might be partially to its antioxidant properties as well as its opposite effect against some gene expression involved in the steroidogenesis.