Effect ofOcimum basilicumextract on cadmium-induced testicular histomorphometric and immunohistochemical alterations in albino rats

Abstract

The present study examined the efficacy of Ocimum basilicum (basil) extract, a natural herb, with antioxidant properties, against testicular toxicity induced by cadmium (Cd), which is one of the most important toxic heavy metals. The intoxicated rats showed significant alterations in the testicular tissue including decreased seminiferous epithelium height and changes in the arrangement of spermatogenic layers. Hypospermatogensis with cytoplasmic vacuolization and pyknotic nuclei were observed. Intertubular hemorrahage and absence of spermatozoa were noted. Decreased cell proliferation was reflected by a decrease in Ki-67 expression, whereas the increase in apoptotic rate was associated with a decrease in the Bcl/Bax ratio. Concomitant treatment with aqueous basil extract led to an improvement in histological, morphometrical and immunohistochemical changes induced by Cd. The beneficial effects of basil extract could be attributed to its antioxidant properties.

Protective Effect of Alcoholic Extract of Garden Cress Seeds on the Histopathological Changes of the Ventral Prostate in Streptozotocin Diabetic Rats

“…Saber A. Sakr & Nooh (2013) who studied the effect of Ocimum basilicum extract on cadmium-induced diabetes detected an improvement in testes tissue such as mean tubular diameter and germ cell height that attributed to the antioxidant properties of the plant (Sakr & Nooh). Aghaei et al (2014) demonstrated the effect of pumpkin seed extract in cyclophosphamide-treated rats.…”

The Effects of Basil on Changes in Blood Glucose and Testosterone Levels in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

“…Disrupted glucose metabolism and incidence of hyperglycemia cause the genes associated with storage of fatty acids become activated in the liver cells (4).Flavonoidsare antioxidants found infruits, vegetables, tea, and black grapes (17)(18)(19)(20). This study clearly indicated that some antioxidants existing in the herbs have a significant hypoglycemic effect in diabetic rats, while they have no effect on lowering the blood glucose in healthy animals.…”

“…Diabetes mellitus includes a syndrome that disrupts metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins through increased blood glucose and increases the risk of vascular diseases (2,3). Increased oxidative stress and changes in the level of antioxidants significantly contribute to the pathogenesis ofdiabetes mellitus (4)(5)(6). Although the exact mechanism of diabetesmellitushas not been well known, increased production of free radicals is among its main damaging mechanisms (7-9).…”

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“…(Labiatae), commonly known as holy basil, is a well documented Indian traditional medicinal herb used for the treatment of various stress-related conditions and is distributed worldwide. O. sanctum is an ''elixir of life'' and has been demonstrated to possess diverse pharmacological properties like antioxidant 14 , genoprotective, anti-tumourrgenic and antiinflammatory potential 15 . Eugenol, methyleugenol, orientin, vicenin, β-elemene, β-caryophyllene, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, tannins, luteolin, apigenin and ocimumosides are major bioactive phytochemical constituents of O. sanctum 16 .…”

“…Eugenol, methyleugenol, orientin, vicenin, β-elemene, β-caryophyllene, ursolic acid, rosmarinic acid, flavonoids, tannins, luteolin, apigenin and ocimumosides are major bioactive phytochemical constituents of O. sanctum 16 . Eugenol and ursolic acid from O. sanctum have been reported to induce protection against free radical induced cellular damage 14 . Keeping in view the pharmacological properties of Ocimum, present investigation has been undertaken to assess the preventive efficacy of leaf extract of Ocimum sanctum against arsenic induced oxidative stress mediated histopathological and genotoxic insult in pulmonary tissue of balb/C mice.…”