ABSTRACT
Lead intoxication has been associated with male reproductive toxicity in experimental animals and lead may have the potential to produce adverse effects on enzymatic activity in testicular tissue of Swiss albino mice. The present study was undertaken to investigate the ability of antioxidant (Vitamin E) to protect against lead acetated (LA) induced testicular enzymatic toxicity in male albino mice during pubertal phase of life. The weight of testis, caput epididymidis, cauda epididymidis, vas deferens and testicular enzymatic activity (Glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), Succenate dehydrogenase (SDH), 65–3β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (65–3β–HSD) and 17β–hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β–HSD) were studied. Administration of LA at a dose of 1.25mg/kg body weight for 45 days lowered the weights of testes, caput epididymidis, cauda epididymidis, vas deferens and decreased the activities GSHPx, SDH, 65–3β–HSD and 17β–HSD. Coadministration of vitamin E (2 mg/kg BW) to the LA group restored all the parameters cited above to near the control values. Therefore, this study revealed that vitamin E has beneficial effects against LA induced enzymatic toxicity in testicular tissue of mice.