ABSTRACT
Nicotine is the most abundant ingredient in cigarette smoking and has serious side effects on the lung, heart, reproductive system, and many other human organs. Saponins extracted from many plants exhibit multiple biological actions such as anti-cancer effects. Therefore, the possible protective effect of fenugreek saponin (FS) and nanofenugreek saponin (NFS) against nicotine-induced toxicity in male rats was investigated in this study. Animals were divided into a control group and the nicotine (1.5 mg/kg/day), FS (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg/day), or/and NFS (20, 40, and 80 mg/kg/day) administered groups. Micronucleus assay, histopathological, and sperm abnormality examinations as well as measurement of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gene expression were conducted. Our findings revealed that nicotine treatment induced significant increases in the incidence of micronucleus, sperm abnormalities, and expression levels of AChE in addition to inducing histopathological changes in rat testis. On the other hand, administration of FS or NFS with nicotine significantly decreased the incidence of micronuclei and the percentage of sperm abnormalities as well as the expression levels of AChE gene. Moreover, nicotine-induced histological alterations were reduced by given FS or NFS with nicotine. In conclusion, nicotine-induced sperm abnormalities, chromosomal damage, and histological injuries were mitigated by administration of FS or NFS with nicotine, and thus, FS and NFS could be used as ameliorating agents against nicotine toxicity.
