cadmium-induced reproductive toxicity in male wistar rats: ameliorative effect of a polyherbal remedy, stc30

Background: cadmium-induced male infertility is associated with oxidative stress. however, there is a lack of literature regarding its effects on cadmium-induced male reproductive toxicity, which is the motivation for conducting this study.methods: twenty male wistar rats were divided into four groups of five rats each as follows:1) control; 2) cadmium-only; 3) stc30-only; and 4) cadmium+stc30. daily administration was for 28 days, after which blood and testicular samples were collected for the determination of relevant parameters.results: the results demonstrated a significant loss of body weight in the cadmium-only group compared to the control, cadmium+stc30, and stc30-only groups. testicular and epididymal weights were also significantly lower in the cadmium-only group compared to the control, stc30-only, and cadmium+stc30 groups. furthermore, sperm count, viability, and motility were significantly diminished in the cadmium-only group compared to the control, stc30-only, and cadmium+stc30 groups. teratozoospermia was significantly higher in the cadmium-only group than in the control, cadmium+stc30, and stc30-only groups. levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and testosterone were significantly reduced in the cadmium-only group compared to the control group.additionally, testicular malondialdehyde and tbars levels were significantly elevated in the cadmium-only group compared to the control, stc30-only, and cadmium+stc30 groups. activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and total antioxidant capacity in the testes were significantly lower in the cadmium-only group compared to the control, stc30-only, and cadmium+stc30 groups. histological analysis revealed a significantly reduced johnsen score in the cadmium-only and cadmium+stc30 groups compared to the control, with higher scores in the stc30-only and cadmium+stc30 groups compared to the cadmium-only group.conclusion: the stc30 compound ameliorated the cadmium-induced male reproductive toxicity and oxidative stress in wistar rats.