curcumin modulation of sperm dna, hormonal parameters, and dnah1 expression in cadmium chloride-exposed rats

Background: infertility is a worldwide health problem that affects about 15-20% of couples globally. various factors contribute to infertility, including physiological, genetic, hormonal factors, and environmental pollution. cadmium chloride, a heavy metal pollutant, has an adverse impact on the reproductive system, while curcumin is recognized for its protective antioxidant properties. objectives: the present study aimed to explore the protective effect of curcumin on sperm dna integrity, hormonal parameters, and dnah1 gene expression against the adverse effect of cadmium chloride exposure in male rats. methods: forty adult male wistar rats were divided into four equal groups, including control (c), curcumin (cu), cadmium chloride (cd), and treatment (t) groups. the cu, cd, and t groups received curcumin via intraperitoneal injection. at the end of the experiment, samples of the epididymis, blood, and testes were collected to evaluate sperm dna fragmentation, testosterone and luteinizing hormone (lh) levels, and dnah1 gene expression.results: cadmium chloride significantly reduced testosterone levels from 0.1735±0.0082 ng/ml to 0.0986±0.0028 ng/ml, increased lh levels from 0.3907±0.0101 ng/ml to 0.5389±0.0384 ng/ml, and raised sperm dna fragmentation from 5.63±0.34% to 20.66±0.58%, while dnah1 gene expression dropped from 1.00±0.037 to 0.012±0.021. curcumin restored testosterone levels to 0.1646±0.0076 ng/ml, reduced sperm dna fragmentation to 3.93±0.44%, and increased dnah1 expression levels to 2.69±0.061. conclusion: curcumin showed protective effects against the adverse and harmful effects of cadmium chloride that caused reproductive disorders and infertility by improving sperm dna integrity, maintaining hormonal balance, and regulating gene expression.